


The best laid plans

by musicismagic



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Asgard, Dark Elves, F/M, Humor, Hydra (Marvel), Loki Redemption, Post-Thor: The Dark World, Romance, SHIELD, Shameless Smut, Slow Burn, Technobabble, tasertricks - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-09-30
Packaged: 2018-02-11 21:32:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 52,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2083917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicismagic/pseuds/musicismagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following from Thor:The Dark World.<br/>Darcy is struck by a Dark Elven weapon found amongst the wreckage of London and only Loki can save her, but in order to do so he must reveal himself as Odins usurper. Can he give up everything he fought for to save one mortal girl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oh shit....

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, this is my first ever fanfic so please be forgiving! I assure you, this is a TaserTricks fic, but it'll take a few chapters to set the ground work so please have faith, the romance/sexy stuff will appear eventually!  
> I have no proof readers and the whole thing is being done on my tablet since my laptop spontaneously blew up (tea+laptop=bad) so it may be a little dodgy on the spelling/grammer front. If you see any glaring issues please let me know and I'll try to fix them.  
> I really hope some people enjoy this, it is just meant to be a bit of fun! And just because all the fics I've read seem to point it out, I should say I don't own any characters, I'm just borrowing them for personal entertainment!

Darcy Lewis was pretty fed up of this mess. It had been three months since Malekiths failed attempt at total, universe wide oblivion but London was still fighting to clean up the destruction. Things were moving slowly thanks to the ever watchful and interfering eyes of S.H.I.E.L.D, who seemed to be searching every centimeter of the rubble for discarded alien technology. As people who had been present (huh, present? more like fucking awesomely kicking arse) during the invasion, S.H.I.E.L.D had drafted Darcy, Jane Foster and Intern Ian into classifying bits of the techno-rubble. Despite her heat of the moment battle kiss, Darcy still couldn't remember his name half the time so 'Intern' had stuck, much to his annoyance.  
"Hey, intern, any coffee gonna make its way to me any time soon?"  
"Its Ian, for the twentieth bloody time, Darcy" Ian practically spat at her.  
"Whatevs, still doesn't answer the coffe question." she responded without even looking up from the latest piece of burnt rubble crap that she was cataloguing. Ian stormed from the room looking thuderous for about the fifth time that week.  
"Seriously Darce, you need to stop tormenting him." Jane said as she walked in through the door that Ian had just slammed behind him, seeing the tell-tale signs of yet another clash with Darcy written clearly on his face.  
"Nah, its just too easy!" she grinned, finally looking up from her desk at her friend. Jane looked happy, despite the destruction within which they carried out their daily work. She gave Darcy a look that was supposed to be stern, but to Darcy it just looked comical. Jane gave up, deciding instead to relax into her desk chair and continue trying to replicate the gravitational readings she had taken during the convergence.

Darcy watched as her friend settled into her work, looking relaxed, and felt herself breath an inward sigh of relief. Things had been tough for Jane the last few months but it was starting to get better for her. Having Thor back in her life on a daily basis should have been a wonderful thing, but the death of his brother so soon after the loss of his mother had changed him. For weeks he had barely spoken, prefering to spend his days walking in Asgard and his nights with Jane. That was where the strain on Jane had come from, because his nights were far from restful. Nightmares that caused him to toss and turn seemed to alternate with memories that left him weeping with sadness when he woke, and despite the fact that she barely managed two hours sleep a night, Jane stayed with him because he needed her. Things had been improving recently, he seemed to be slowly returning to them. Hell, in the last week he seemed like his normal self again. The improvement in Thor was met by an even greater improvement in Jane, who was suddenly able to revel in having her boyfriend back. Darcys musings had totally escaped Jane, whos face had been gradually losing its concentrated stare at her work and became glazed. She flushed and started figiting nervously. She turned to Darcy, who had gone back to her work, and asked a question she had been working herself up to for days.  
"What's the longest you've been in a relationship before you've had sex?" Jane asked, the words tumbling from her mouth as though she was trying to get it over with. Well, that got Darcys attention! There was a clunk outside the door as Ian tried to get back into the lab whilst balancing coffees, sandwiches and paperwork in his hands. He finally managed to open the door but had barely got his foot over the threshold before Darcy yelled "Out, private meeting!" Ian looked to Jane, whom he could usually count on to contradict Darcys unreasonable requests, but this time she actually agreed saying "If you need to grab something make it quick so we can get on." He could see that Jane looked a bit pink which just added to his total confusion. Although, in all honesty, he was too pissed off to care.  
"FINE! Dr Foster, I quit" he yelled, storming out with a bit too much melodrama for either of them to be concerned that he wouldn't come back.  
"Sooooo....." Darcy began with a smirk "God of Thunder hasn't rocked your world yet, huh?"  
"Oh god, I knew I should never have said anything to you!"  
"No, no, I'm glad you did. I mean, it explains a lot! All work and no sex makes Jane a seriously frustrated girl!"  
"Do you think its still too soon? After, you know, everything thats happened?"  
"Nope!" Darcy replied instantly with a filthy grin! "Sex is soothing to the soul." Darcy didn't really want to think about Jane and Thor doing the deed but she wanted to help her friend so she pressed on. "What have you tried?"  
"Honestly? Nothing! I wanted him to feel comfortable and unpressured while he was grieving, but now it feels as though I've left it too long and neither of us quite knows how to start things off. Its killing me!" Jane felt some relief after sharing her thoughts with Darcy, even if she knew she'd have to endure some relentless teasing for it later.  
"Want my advice, which you clearly do or you'd never have said anything?" Jane braced herself for some kind of smut to spill out of Darcys mouth, so she was totally shocked to hear her friend say "Don't rush it" with an uncharacteristically caring tone to her voice. Jane was so used to sass and sarcasm from her intern that this gentle, caring attitude took her slightly aback.  
"Seriously, Jane, he's lost half his family and is practically living on another planet. Just tell him you're ready when he is! He's crazy about you Jane, I bet he'll be on board pretty soon, if you know what I mean!" The last part of that sentance was accompanied by a raised eyebrow and a smirk that told Jane the tender moment was over and it was back to business as usual!  
Darcy moved back to her desk, threw the piece of now catalogued junk into its assigned case and picked up the next item case and plonked it on her desk. As she opened the lid she was enveloped in green light, lifted off her feet and thrown into the wall. The last thing she heard before losing consciousness was Jane screaming her name.


	2. Now what?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy is comatose, Jane, Bruce and Tony are stummped and its Thor to the rescue.

It had been 3 days since Darcy had been knocked out by the .......whatever it was. All the brains of S.H.I.E.L.D, plus Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, had been trying to figure out the piece of alien tech that had been activated by Darcys proximity but they were no closer to figuring out how to bring her out of the coma she had been left in. Jane was to be found in the same place she had been since the accident, seated outside Darcys hospital room with a laptop perched on her knees, piles of paperwork on the seat beside her with her mobile phone under her ear talking with Banner.  
"And you say it still isn't giving out any readings at all? Nothing? Its completely dormant?"  
"Dormant or dead?" suggested Banner "Perhaps it discharged all of its remaining power on Darcy."  
"Even if that were the case, I would expect there to be some kind of residual radiation from its exposure to the convergence and the dark elves power source, whatever that was."  
Starks voice could be heard in the background of her telephone call, and he sounded pissed. He was yelling something at someone that did not sound friendly, Jane could hear plenty of blame being heaped around, in between the profanities.  
"Tony sounds stressed? How are you coping?" Janes question had a double meaning, and Banner knew it.  
"I'm ok. Tony does enough blaming and yelling for all three of us." after a brief sigh he added, "don't worry, if the other guy feels like making an appearance S.H.I.E.L.D has a plan, or twelve, to keep the destruction to a minimum. How's Darcy doing? Any change?"  
"No, nothing. I want to stay near her but I'm beginning to feel I could do more at the lab."  
"Tony and I are on top of it, if we need you we'll call, we promise."  
"Hey, when you're done gossiping I could use some help over here." Tony had obviously finished yelling at the lab tech and now he was ready to get back to work.  
"Sorry, Jane, looks like the caffeine fueled hyper freak needs some help. We'll call as soon as we know anything more. Just get some rest, ok?"  
As Jane hung up the phone, she wiped her hand across her tired, itchy eyes and considered getting a coffee. As she rose, the door to the private ward was thrown open with a flourish that could only herald the arrival of one person. As Jane watched Thor stride down the corridor to where she was sat she was overwhelmed with love. He had barely left her side these last few days, leaving only to run errands on her behalf. There was a sense of excitement in him that surprised her.  
"Jane, I bear you good news" he said with a smile.  
"What?"  
"My father has agreed to allow your friend passage to Asgard, for treatment by our healers!"  
"What? Oh Thor, that's wonderful. When do we go? I'll need to arrange for Darcy to be prepped for transport but that shouldn't take......" Jane was interrupted mid sentance by a blinding flash of light behind the window of Darcys room. It was clear that, once his mind was made up, Odin wasted no time in carrying out his promises.  
"Right, so when do we go?" Jane asked, guessing the answer as Thor enclosed her in his arms and called skyward for Heimdall.


	3. Think of Darcy.....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on Asgard

Jane had not expected to ever set foot on Asgard again, and part of her had been glad. The rush of emotion that hit her when she arrived in the observatory that was Heimdalls watch post was like a kick to the stomach. Last time she came, death and disaster had followed. But she knew that this was by far the best place for Darcy so she viciously stamped down her guilt and sorrow so that she could be strong for her friend. As a team of healers transferred Darcy to a strange vehicle that looked like a long boat Jane noticed , to her surprise, that Heimdall was not the only person waiting for them in the observatory. Odin was greeting Thor with a warm, fatherly smile that Jane had never seen before, but was glad to be seeing now. As Jane stood watching them, Heimdall had descended the few steps from his dias and was now stood beside her, sweeping her with the kind of look that only the gatekeeper of Asgard could achieve. It took in more than just her exterior, but also glanced into her soul.  
"You and Odin have something in common. You both love our prince very much, Lady Jane Foster." He was attempting to ease the discomfort she felt at being back where she had caused so much hurt, and she was grateful.  
"Yes." Jane replied simply "But I caused so much pain here that I'm not sure how welcome I will be. Frigga....." she couldn't continue.  
"Frigga was a warrior Queen of Asgard, my lady. She would have thrown herself into the battle whether you were present or not. She was wise and kind and beautiful of soul and you dishonour her memory by blaming yourself instead of hailing her bravery in choosing to fight." Jane was odly comforted by the words of the stern gatekeeper, but now was not the time to dwell. Thor and Odin had begun to leave before Odin remembered Janes presence.  
"Come, Jane Foster, and we will see if we can help your friend."  
"Thank you, your majesty." Jane replied, glad that, at least this time, he had not compared her to a goat.  
"What do you know of the weapon that did this to her?" Odin asked Jane as they strode along the Bifrost, the team of healers now so far ahead they could barely be seen.  
Jane was slightly embarrased to admit the answer "Nothing. Not a damn thing! We don't even know for sure that its a weapon. It could have just been a bit of broken engine for all we know. It definately matches the design of the Dark Elves ship and we matched the alloys so we know its theirs but otherwise we're clueless" Thor could hear the edge of self loathing in Janes voice and wished he could take it away. His woman of science, for all her great qualities, did not like not knowing.  
"Do not fear. Now that we have the device we will make quick work of discovering its purpose." replied Odin. Jane stumbled to a halt.  
"You have it? How?"  
"It was transported here a few moments before your friend Darcy. We could not hope to help her without it. Not much is known of the Dark elves technology, even by the Aesir." Odin did not seem to care about the shit storm that was probably going on at S.H.I.E.L.D since the alien device had disappeared in a flash. Jane thought of Stark and Banner working on it as a beam of light grabbed it and vanished. She started to smile a very small smile and then thought...shit...Banner. She desperately hoped the shock hadn't brought the other guy out for a look. No, Bruce had seemed to have a handle on the thing since new york, and working with Stark was, oddly, having a good effect on him, bringing him out of his shell and letting his mind rejoice in science again. No, Jane did not have to worry about Bruce Banner, she had to worry about Darcy.  
The end of Bifrost was coming into sight as they continued to walk along at a rapid pace. Jane knew they often rode the bridge on horseback, but as she couldn't ride she was relieved to be walking. And the physical action was helping to clear the fog of exhaustion from her mind. As they reached the end of the bridge Odin stopped to give instructions to a number of guards who seemed to be waiting for them. Jane heard only a snatch of the conversation as Thor had held her back while his father spoke, but it was clear Odin was ordering a 24hour guard over a woman. "No." thought Jane. "He can't be serious? What have I done this time?" but as the guards were dismissed and none of them had taken her into custody Jane suddenly understood. The guard was for Darcy.  
"Do you think she could be dangerous? She's not even awake?" asked Thor, voicing the very thought onthe tip of Janes tongue.  
"It is best to be cautious. Last time I underestimated an alien power...." Odins words trailled off and the guilt that Jane had tried to submerge in the observatory came rushing back to the surface. Odin caught Janes eye but turned rapidly away from the sight of her eyes filled with tears. Although he was far from blaming her for Friggas death, he did not wish to share his grief with this mortal child. Fortunately, a distraction arrived at that moment in the form of an alarm that sent guards running towards the palace. Thor and Odin immediately followed with Jane trailing only a few steps behind. They arrived at a set of double doors that Jane recognised as the Asgardian infirmary where she had been examined during her possession by the Aether. Sounds of struggle caught Janes attention and so, when Thor abruptly stopped and turned, she was unable to stop herself running right into him.  
"Jane, stay here."  
"No wa....." she started to respond  
"Jane Foster, you will listen to my son. Remain here in safety until we call for you or I will have you put under guard" commanded Odin, as he pushed his way through the doors and into the fray without breaking stride. Thor gave Jane a brief kiss before following his father. It took only a few moments before the sounds of struggle subsided and Thor came back out into the hall. Taking her hand, he led Jane into the infirmary where 5 guards were still fighting to strap a struggling Darcy onto a table. The healer with whom Jane had discussed quantum mechanics during her last visit was attempting to administer some kind of herbal concoction. When she had finally drunk the brew Darcy gave one final spasm before falling into an uneasy sleep.


	4. What laws of physics?

As he made his way back to his chambers that night, the king was lost in contemplation. The human girl, Darcy, had awoken three more times that afternoon, despite being given a drug that would have rendered a dozen of his finest soldiers catatonic for days. Whatever she had been exposed to had made her strong, feral and seemingly unable to process her surroundings as even her friend Jane had not been able to draw any recognition from the girl. As he bade goodnight to the guard detail at his door and ensconced himself in his chambers, the king allowed himself the freedom to relax. The aging visage of Odin melted away to reveal the dark hair and pale skin of the God of Mischief and Lies. Lokis piercing green eyes sparkled with an excitement that they had been missing of late, as he reached out his mind to explore the new power lying in the infirmary. He stretched out tendrils of magic and invisibly observed her sleeping form. She was rather fairer in appearance than he had expected, and he spent perhaps longer than he should admiring her full busted, curved form before he came back to himself. He reached out with magic to explore her mind and find the source of her new power but he met a barrier that kept him out. He barely had time to mentally remark on how strange that was before her eyes snapped open and glared right at him. Somehow, she could see him.  
"You!" she snarled, attempting to wrest herself free of the restraints. Her shout had alerted her guards to her consciousness and they were already attempting to subdue her again when she broke an arm free and somehow, defying all the laws of physics, biology and magic alike, grabbed Loki around the non-corporeal wrist.  
"I see you son of Odin. You cannot fool me." The words were coming from the humans mouth but the voice was a mixture of everything that was dark and evil in the universe. The guards were stunned by her words, as they were still unaware of Lokis presence, but they soon rallied themselves and returned to the challenge of bringing Darcy back under control. Loki withdrew his double from the infirmary and returned himself to his body. The girl was possessed by something dark and powerful, that much was certain, but he could not convince himself that it was all of Elven origin. Something in that voice had awoken a deep fear in him, as memories of torture and endless darkness fought to be acknowledged. Loki had more mental control than most so he forced the doors to those memories closed and instead focused his concentration on the problem at hand, how to remove the power from the girl. He didn't know why it mattered to him that she live.....well, that wasn't true. It mattered to him because it mattered to Thor.  
Lokis feelings towards his brother, always so complex and, for want of a better phrase, messed up were becoming clearer the more time passed. Their mothers death had been the catalyst for a change between them, but it was so closely followed by his own 'death' that he had not had chance to examine what form that change would take. Was he finally letting go of his hate for his brother? Finally realising that, whatever Odin had done, Thor was never to blame for Lokis problems? It was possible. But hate had been his fuel for so long, it was becoming harder and harder to see the path he should take without its fire casting light on the path ahead. Whatever had changed between them on the dark world, Loki could be damned sure that, if Thor found out about his current undertaking, he would be on the wrong end of Mojlnir before he had chance to blink. For now, he would focus on healing the mortal. His instincts told him that would be challenging enough. With that thought, Loki retook Odins form, removed the magical movie he had been playing for Heimdalls benefit and took to his bed. Sleep took him quickly, wrapping him in a suffocating grip as it dragged nightmare after nightmare from the depths of his mind, of torture, death, destruction and of his brothers face contorted in grief over Lokis dead body.


	5. Dreams

It had been less than 20 minutes since what Bruce would forever refer to as 'the series of fucked up events'. Tony and Bruce had been running another multi spectral scan of the 'alien knockout thingy' or AKT as Tony had dubbed it, when the whole lab had filled with a beautiful, if slightly creepy, orange light. The next thing the two geniuses knew, the AKT was gone and there were S.H.I.E.L.D agents throwing total hissy fits in every corner of every room in the building. Apparently, Darcy, Jane and Thor were all gone too. Bruce and Tony were totally okay with this turn of events. Neither of them really trusted S.H.I.E.L.D since the whole, let's blow up Manhattan thing and as it had been Tony who had nearly died shoving the nuke up the Chitauris backside, Bruce could hardly blame him for being even more arrogantly hostile than usual when they were being accused of having a hand in the weapons dissapearance.  
"So, once more for clarification Mr Stark, you definately did not know that the weapon was targeted for extraction by the Asgardians" repeated the agent questioning them for about the 5th time.  
"Hey," Tony nudged Bruce with his elbow, "How thick do you reckon these walls are?"  
"Mr Stark, please answer the question"  
"I don't know, 10inches, maybe a foot? Reinforced concrete by the look of the blown up parts. Why?"  
"Just wondered, roughly, how long do you think it would take the big guy to clear a path to my suit?"  
"Mr Stark and Dr Banner, please answer my questions"  
"Oh hell, not long. Couple of seconds, 30 tops." replied Banner, almost enjoying winding up the arrogant agent who was now beginning to regret his eagerness to question these two. The agent slammed his hand onto the table in an attempt to reign the two scientists in.  
"ANSWER THE QUESTION." he shouted at them. Oh shit. Tony Stark, the man who loves to be on top, be in control, be the smartest man in the room, fell silent and leant back in his chair. With the subtlest of gestures, he gave control of the floor to Dr Banner. The Dr had changed. It was a small change, but the agent could tell he was not in charge of this interview now, if he had ever been.  
Bruces breathing had slowed, his eyes were closed and his fists were clenched as he answered the question through gritted teeth.  
"We did not know. But if we had known we wouldn't have stopped it. Now, I suggest you let us out and return Mr Starks suit to him because if you piss me off any more, you will need his help to calm the other guy down. Got it?" The agent practically ran from the room, not even pausing to wonder why there was laughter following him down the corridor.  
"Seriously good acting, bro!" Tony laughed "I thought he was going to pee himself!"  
"Hey, you're the one who taught me to try and have a little fun with it!" Bruce replied as they left the interrogation room unimpeded and headed straight for the hanger where Tonys suit and his car were both waiting. The Ironman suit was folded into its torso shaped suitcase on the back seat as the friends drove out towards the hotel where Tony had comandeered almost an entire floor for himself, Bruce and Pepper. Bruce had found a new sense of well being working alongside Tony and, despite his bravado and arrogance, they had become firm friends. Bruce was also very fond of Pepper. She was strong, brilliant and seemed able to manipuate Tony into almost anything! As Tony pulled into the under ground parking structure beneath their hotel Bruces thoughts turned to more of his new friends. He wondered how Jane and Thor were doing in Asgard and whether they had made any headway in diagnosing what was wrong with Darcy. He had become used to being friendless, alone in the world while he was hiding, so he had been enjoying having a little network of friends around. Darcy and Jane were the most recent addition to his life but they had endeared themselves to him very quickly, Jane with her shining intellect and Darcy with her wit, sass and sarcasm. As the lift took he and Tony to their floor, Bruce couldn't help but notice that Tony was unusually quiet.  
"Anything wrong?" he asked. His words seemed to snap Tony out of some kind of reverie.  
"Sorry, man. Just wondering how Darcy is, whether anyone on Asgard will be able to help her. And...." Tony trailed off, not wanting to finish his thought.  
"And.......what?" Bruce pressed. Even after only a short time as friends he knew that, if left to brood, Tony could get himself into some pretty dark places. At least here he didn't have a basement workshop to retreat into, but Bruce still didn't want him to worry alone.  
"I don't know, maybe its the weapons creator in me but what if she was only in a coma here because she didn't have a target? What if Asgard is the worst place she could be? Malekith and his little elves hated Asgard above anything else. What if this is some kamikase weapon she set off and being there brings out the killer in her, or something" Tonys voice trailed off over the last few words, leaving him staring into space as the lift doors opened and they began to walk to their rooms. Bruce wanted to say something comforting like "no, you're wrong, that couldn't ever happen" but instead he was thinking, "shit, that makes sense, is there anyway I can call Jane to check". But of course there wasn't because she was on another planet. The two men had reached their rooms, on opposite sides of the corridor. Pepper must have heard their steps as the door to the suite Tony shared with her flew open.  
"I heard what happened, everything ok?" she asked Bruce as she hugged Tony.  
"Nothing big green here couldn't handle" replied Tony, Peppers hug having worked like some kind of medication to bring him out of his dark thoughts and back to himself. Pepper however, had taken on his worried look as she caught on to what he'd said.  
"Oh my god, Bruce, what happened? Is everybody ok? I didn't hear anything about THAT...." Pepper caught Tonys eye and saw the smirk on his face. Realising he was kidding she smiled a smile full of relief at Bruce, which turned to a grin of pure malice when she turned it upon her boyfriend. Bruce had a feeling Tony was going to pay for making her worry like that. They said their goodnights and arranged to meet for breakfast the next morning to decide if it was worth going back to the S.H.I.E.L.D facility or whether they should just pack up and head back stateside, then Bruce walked into his suite, which was bigger than every place he'd ever lived, grabbed himself a glass of water and went to bed. He wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep, but almost as soon as his head hit the pillow he was dreaming terrifying nightmares. He could see every person he'd ever hurt as the other guy, feel their pain and their fear. Then, as morning crept nearer, he saw himself dead, his new friends crouched around him grieving but being out of their reach forever.  
Across the hall, Tony and Pepper were both experiencing similar dreams, ending in their lifeless bodies being mourned as their struggling souls tried desperately to get back to the ones they loved. In Asgard, Thor and Jane awoke bathed in cold sweat, neither quite knowing why, only knowing their dreams had been frightening and they were relieved to wake up together. In his chambers Loki awoke in the same way, except he didn't have a pair of loving arms to comfort him. He didn't even have his own face in the mirror to comfort him. He was totally alone, for everyone who had loved him and could possibly love him again, believed him dead.


	6. Memories

Loki spent much of that day in the library. He had created an Odin double to hold the fort in the throne room as he explored rows upon rows of esoteric texts, disguised as a young blonde woman. It was difficult to maintain so many illusions at once, especially when trying to hide from Heimdalls all seeing gaze, but it was important that he researched as much as possible if he was to find a way to save Darcy.  
Breakfast with his brother and Jane had been slightly strained, as it seemed he was not the only one to have slept poorly. They were clinging to each other as though afraid they would be dragged apart at any moment, there was not one second over breakfast when they had not been touching in some way. Even while eating, it seemed they had their legs pressed together under the table and their elbows touching above it. Jane intended to spend the day as close to Darcy as possible, although she had made one request that Loki had been happy to grant, a quick visit back to earth to check in on her friends. It seemed that one of her friends was the human half of the giant green beast who had flung him around so violently in New York, and Loki was all too happy to ensure he gave the beast no reason to come looking for round two.  
As he found the book he had been searching for, he removed it from the dusty shelf, walked to a small table in a secluded alcove, seated himself in one of the plush leather chairs and just held it against his chest. Frigga had taught him everything good about his magic, and this book, one of her favourites, was imprinted with her kind spirit. Contained within its pages was a powerful spell, that had been put there by Frigga herself, to allow the reader to search through the murkiest corners of their own memory to find the half forgotten information hiding there. Loki had known since his encounter with Darcy the previous night that whatever was inside her would not be likely to come out without a fight. Instead Loki needed a way to first build a wall around the invading force before trying to mine it from her body. During his teachings Frigga had once mentioned a book that held many different kinds of spells to give power to enter human minds, a throwback from the days when Asgardians won the worship of humans through displays of magic and power and might. Loki needed to remember the name of the book she had talked about, but he knew it would mean opening wounds he had tried to keep closed.  
"He's not my father!"  
"Then am I not your mother?"  
"You're not."  
The last words he had ever spoken to her rang in his mind. He fought to control his pain but tears spilled from his eyes regardless of his efforts to stop them. It felt wrong to cry for his mother, for she truly was his mother, whilst hiding in the form of another but he had no choice. His own actions had brought him to this place and he knew that only his own actions could put him back on a path that would have made his mother proud. Loki forced the tears to stop flowing, wiped the moisture from the brown eyes of his female disguise and focussed all of his energy in the first step he must take towards redemption.  
For the rest of the afternoon Loki searched through countless memories of magic lessons with Frigga to find that one brief mention of the text that could help him save Darcy. He cried many more times that day as he finally felt the true pain of his mothers loss. Every memory brought to the surface stabbed at him, reminding him of the mothers love that he carelessly threw away. Eventually, when his heart was wrung almost dry of tears and his magical concealment was beginning to take its toll, he found the memory he sought. Closing the book on his mother and his youth, he searched for the title he needed and removed it from its shelf, using magic to send it to his chambers despite his growing tiredness. He walked to the throne room, where he knew his Odin double was alone, took Odins form before dissolving the double in a cloud of green smoke and taking his place on the throne. He was emotionally drained, and so it was uncharacteristically early when he left his throne to rest before dinner. He retired to his room and flopped, fully clothed onto his bed before a restless sleep took hold.


	7. Back on earth

Jane had not slept well. Nor had Thor. And, although he would never admit it and she would never ask, Jane was sure Odin had not slept well either. Her nightmares had been so......undefinable. The only clear memory she had was watching Thor weeping over her dead body while she struggled to get back to him. It sent a chill over her even now. She had obtained Odins permission to return to Earth to see Tony and Bruce and to let them know everything was okay. She had been offered a horse to carry her along Bifrost to the observatory, but declined citing her love of the walk and the view. She thought she'd got away with that excuse until Thor had burst out laughing and proclaimed (seriously, proclaimed! She loved him but my god, he couldn't do anything 'small')  
"You can simply say 'I cannot ride' my love. There is no need for pretence here." Odin looked from her to Thor and rolled his eyes. Yes, the Allfather, king of Asgard actually rolled his eyes at her. Oh god, she was slipping even further down in his estimation all because she couldnt ride a bloody horse. She was going to kill Thor when they were alone.  
Jane reached the observatory still inwardly cursing the fact she had never bothered to learn to ride, despite ample opportunities, but her spirits lifted at the thought of seeing Tony and Bruce, and hopefully Pepper if they were all still together. As she entered his watchpost, Heimdall lifted his gaze to her face. Before she could even say 'hello' he had lowered his sword into the Bifrost controls and set the machine in motion.  
"I have been asked to send you to your friends, they are all together having breakfast."  
"Right, thank you Heimdall. Umm..." He knew what she was thinking so answered her question without her even needing to vocalise it.  
"When you wish to return, just call my name and I will bring you back."  
"Right. Thanks, again!" And with that Jane stepped forward and felt the inexplicable pull that the bridge exerted on her body. As she shot along the branches of Yggdrasil to her world she felt the rush of joy that always came to her with knowledge. She knew that her work was right, that her theories, and those of her dear mentor Eric, were demonstably true, even if they couldn't be demonstrated on Earth. Seconds later, she landed in the living are of one of the biggest hotel suites she had ever seen.  
She looked up, her eyes adjusting to the light after the sensory onslaught of the trip across the bridge, to see Tony seated at a dining table looking completely unruffled, as Bruce picked a stunned Pepper up off the floor, where she and her chair had just crashed thanks to the shock of Janes choice of tansportation.  
"Oh my god, Pepper, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Jane asked as she ran and hugged Pepper after helping her up. Pepper wasn't exactly the hugging kind, but she welcomed this action from Jane. The women hadn't known each other long but they had bonded over, of all things, Game of Thrones!  
"I'm fine!" Pepper said, extricating herself from Janes hug "Nice ride! Can anyone use that or is it just for the girlfriends of demi-gods?"  
"Hey, dating a demi-god has its perks! Doesn't dating a billionaire genius inventor have its perks?"  
"Not as many as you'd think." By this time Pepper had seated herself again while Jane, after hugging both Tony and Bruce, had sat oppsite her at the small circular table. Tony was beginning to think this might be a good time to interrupt when he was saved the trouble by Bruce.  
"So, how's Darcy?"  
"She's not good. Almost as soon as we got to Asgard she woke up and went nuts. I mean, Thor and Odin wouldn't let me in so I didn't see it myself but apparently she was throwing the Asgardian guards around like rag dolls. When I did get to go in there were 5 of them trying to steap her down and she was still fighting." Tony and Bruce shared a dark look that Jane and Pepper picked up on immediately.  
"What?" they asked in unison  
"I thought something like that might happen. The Dark Elves hated Asgard. Makes sense that any weapon they create would recognise Asgard and try to do as much damage as possible when it got there." stated Tony as casually as possible, but his choice of words was not lost on Jane.  
"Darcys not a weapon, Tony, she's our friend." Jane almost whispered, the realisation that Darcy could be beyond their reach was trying to jostle its way into her mind but she swatted it away with as much mental force as she could muster.  
"We know that Jane. We're not giving up. Its just that there's not much Bruce and I can do anymore. So unless Asgards finest want a couple of human genius us to join their brainstorm....." Tony really wanted to go to Asgard, he hated having nothing practical to distract him from his own thoughts, and his dreams had left him feeling exhausted before he had even got out of bed that morning. Bruce piped up.  
"What Tonys saying is, we're heading back to New York today. We've talked about it and we just feel that, without the device itself we have pretty much nothing to go on. Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D aren't exactly our biggest fans after yesterday." A pleasant few minutes passed as the two men described the reaction to the devices dissapearance, their rather interesting interrogation and the look on the arrogant agents face when he thought Bruce was going to Hulk out on him. When breakfast was finished Jane bid her friends goodbye and promised that she would visit with news as soon as they were back in New York. With one final wave Jane tentatively called Heimdalls name, and was swept back onto the bridge again, if possible, enjoying the trip even more the second time around. Jane spent the rest of that day in the infirmary with Darcys sleeping body, talking with the healers and learning everything she could about the device they called a Soul Forge. The lead healer had devised a regimen of drugs and herbs to keep Darcy asleep but it was clearly not a peaceful sleep as Jane could see her friends eyeballs moving frantically behind their lids. Jane wondered if Darcys dreams were anything like the ones she had had last night. She reached out her hands and took one of Darcys in her own.  
"I'm here Darce, please come back to us."


	8. Into the mind of Darcy

It was night time and Loki had not yet retired to his bed. His nap that afternoon had recharged his body and his magic, but his dreams had, again, been troublesome. He had risen just in time to join Jane and Thor for dinner and had laughed inwardly at his brothers attempts to further Janes understanding of the Soul Forge. In battle Thor was unmatched, but a great intelect he was not. It was a source of almost constant humour to him that Thor had chosen to love a woman of science, even if it was human science. Loki could have filled the gaps in her knowledge in a matter of moments, however it would be far too suspicious for Odin to suddenly show knowledge that he had never shown before. Now in his room again, Loki was back in his own form, long dark hair wet from bathing, a dark green tunic and soft linen trousers covering his lean yet muscular frame. His long legs were propped up on the low table in front of his comfortable chair as he searched the book in his hands for a spell that would allow him into Darcys mind. Human minds were complex things but as they used barely even half of their mental capacity, he was sure it would be possible to seperate the original Darcy from this new, invading force. Finally, he found the spell he was looking for. It was complicated, and he would need to be present in his true form to carry it out. But at least he knew it was possible. Loki considered going to bed, but he knew that the sooner he worked the spell, the greater the chances of saving Darcy. Magically concealing the book beneath his robes, Loki stood up, returning to Odins commanding appearance. He strode from the room with purpose, despite the late hour, and headed for the infirmary. The guards at the door saluted Odin as he passed. When he entered the infirmary he found Darcy alone, the healer on duty was in an anti-chamber preparing the next dose of sedative. It would be easier for Loki to find the true Darcy if she was more deeply asleep, so he walked to the entrance to the preparation room. One of the oldest healers, Eir, was working alone at a tall bench, grinding herbs and mixing them into the crucible she was using to prepare the draught. She was so absorbed in her work that she did not notice her king until he spoke.  
"How is your patient?" Eir turned from her seat and bowed her frame towards him as quickly as her age would allow.  
"She is not well, my lord. But I hope with more information on the device that did this I can reverse the damage." she said, more to the floor than to Odin.  
"Please, continue your work, Eir. Have you had no information from our scholars on the device?"  
"Not yet. You know how meticulous they can be. They have promised me a full report by morning, but in the mean time I must keep the girl asleep. If you will excuse me my lord, her draught is ready and it must be administered on time." Eir rose from her seat with the sedative in hand and, bowing, moved past Odin into the infirmary. It was clear that Darcy was begining to struggle towards consciousness, but it took only seconds to pour the drug into the girls mouth. She swallowed instinctively and the response was almost instantaneous. Her breathing began to slow once more, her fingers relaxed from the fists they had been and she seemed to melt back down onto the bed. Only her eyes showed the internal struggle that was still raging as the curve of her lens could be seen darting back and forth, as though she was searching desperately for an escape route.  
Eir was watching the king as he considered the girl before him. She had never seen the king in the infirmary for so long before. Even when the woman everyone assumed would one day become Thors wife was threatened by the Aether he was in the infirmary for barely a few moments. Eir tried to continue her thoughts but a heaviness was settling over her limbs. A voice in her head was saying soithing words, encouraging her to return to the anti-chamber, where they could sleep when working through the night, and lie her weary self down to sleep. She seemed to forget the kings presence as she wandered through another door and took to the bed without another coherent thought entering her mind. It took less than a minute for Eir to fall into a totally sound and dreamless sleep.  
Stood beside Darcys sleeping form, Odin dissolved once again to reveal Loki, spell book in hand. He turned to the page he needed, rested the book upon the bed beside her and took both of Darcys hands in his own. He quickly cast his magic about the room to ensure all was locked and they could not be disturbed, before gazing down at the pages spread before him. He focussed his mind on the words on the page, before turning his gaze on Darcy. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to visualise the entrance to her mind as a door. He reached out, grasped the handle and pushed the door open.  
He found himself on the street of what looked something like an Earth city, but not like any of the ones he had seen during his brief time there. It was as though it had been constructed from every landmark that Darcy had ever seen or wanted to see. There, in the centre, was the New York Stark Tower, a place Loki had no desire to ever enter again, and around it in spirals there came the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Big Ben and the British Houses of Parliament, Taj Mahal and countless other missmatched buildings. The whole place seemed to be ringed by a huge wall, the Great Wall of China in fact. How was he ever going to find the girl in all this chaos. At that moment, Loki felt a tremor he was certain was not his doing. Stones fell from the wall behind him and he noticed small cracks beginning to appear. Loki began to weave his way through the spiralling city, heading for the tower at the centre. He was guessing that was where Darcy would be hiding, in the centre of the little world she had created in her mind. It took what felt like hours to find his way through the structures of Earth that made up her sanctuary, but that time was by no means uneventful. The tremors that shock the place almost constantly were causing buildings to crumble and collapse all around him. Loki quickened his pace to a sprint when the 11th such tremor brought part of a huge red suspension bridge crashing down above his head. He escaped with barely a scratch, but it was with a heightened sense of impending danger that he ran flat out to the doors at the base of Stark Tower.


	9. Come with me if you want to live

As Loki pushed open the doors to Stark Tower he felt breathless. He was only guessing that the girl would be in here so it was with desperation that he began climbing the dark stone staircase in front of him. There were no doors leading off the stairs and no sign of any of the offices or laboratories Loki had found when he had visited this building in reality. Evidently the home of the Ironman was not somewhere the girl had actually ever been. He continued to climb until eventually he found himself in front of a large black door. He pushed the door open and took a single step over the threshold before being knocked to the ground by a pulse of energy. Stood over him, looking down through an expressionless mask, was the Ironman. Except, it wasn't. The metal facade, the colours and the mask were all Ironman, but the body the armour covered was clearly female. Loki raised his hand in what he hoped was a gesture of peace. The Ironwoman lowered her arms and allowed her visor to lift revealing the face of Darcy Lewis.  
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice sounding weak through lack of use  
"I am Loki, of Asgard......." SMACK. Darcy had punched him so hard under the jaw she had managed to lift him from the floor.  
"That was for trying to enslave my planet!" Darcy spat. Loki bit back the laugh that threatened to burst forth, contenting himself instead with a grin. Had his very first meeting with Jane not begun with this exact situation? Although this Darcy certainly had a more powerful punch.  
"In case you were unaware, I have redemmed myself somewhat with the saving of your friends life." Darcy watched him cautiously as he stood and brushed the dust from the black and green leather he was covered in. Jane had told Darcy everything Loki had done to save her, almost sacrificing himself to push from the path of some alien-black-hole-generating-grenade-thingy and then actually sacrificing himself to save Thor.  
"But, you're dead?" It was a question rather than a statement and Loki could tell Darcy was putting 2 and 2 together to make 5. "I'm dead? I'm dead! I'm dead." she had begun to mutter under her breath before he could tell her the truth.  
"No, Darcy Lewis, you are not dead......"  
"But...."she began to interrupt  
"This not the time or place to discuss this Miss Lewis. I am here to help you but in order to do so I need you to put your trust in me for a brief moment." He held out his hand to her. She was hesitant to take it. I mean, Jane said he was dead. Not just a bit dead but really, truly, turned grey skinned kind of dead. Plus, even if he wasn't dead, this was the guy responsible for destroying half of New York. Loki was waiting patiently for her to make her choice. It was important for the spell that she CHOOSE his help, he couldn't force her. He figured the growing tremors would help make up her mind and, as a particularly strong tremor hit, he was proven right. She took his bare hand with her metal gloved one and Loki focussed his mind once again on the spell he was working. A new door appeared magically before them and Loki dragged Darcy through it before she could even draw another breath.  
They had crossed into a huge green field dotted here and there with identical groups of oak trees. Loki immediately released his grip of Darcys hand and allowed her to take in her surroundings. The sky was a beautiful, cloudless blue, the grass was so green it was almost the colour of emeralds and the trees were unnaturally tall and lush, and yet Darcy felt as though she knew this place.  
"Where are we?" she asked as she began to walk towards the group of trees nearest her.  
"We are inside your mind." Darcy turned to Loki, looking shocked. Loki pressed on "You were struck by an energy device from the rubble of the Dark Elves attack on your world. You have since been, mostly, unconscious."  
"Mostly?"  
"You have had a few moments of consciousness during which you have been.....aggressive."  
"Agressive? But, I don't remember that. I remember a case and when I opened it I was hit by a bright light, then I woke up where you found me. I was there for weeks, I didn't think I was ever getting out." Darcy seemed disorientated, not that Loki blamed her.  
"Tell me what else you remember." he asked, falling into step beside her.  
"The first day I felt okay. It was a bit of a weird place to be but I felt safe so I wasn't too worried. I just walked around and tried to check out all these amazing places, but they were all empty. Then that night I made it to Stark Tower and found a place to sleep. I didn't manage to sleep for long 'cause there was a huge rumbling, like an earthquake. From then on the quakes didn't seem to stop, they just kept going, every few minutes. Halfway through the third day I found the suit so I put it on. It made me feel a bit safer again so I tried to explore a bit more. I was flying around when you arrived but i didn't know who you were so I went back to the tower to see if you'd just leave." She seemed to tell the whole story in one breath so that by the time she finished her chest was heaving with a mixture of emotion and lack of oxygen. "I still don't know why I should trust you?" she added.  
"For the moment, I am the lesser of many evils." Loki answered simply.  
"That's not an answer. Well, okay, I suppose it is an answer but its not the one I wanted. How are you alive? Jane watched you die. Thor literally wept for you. He's been a total wreck and you've been alive the whole time?" Her words stung. As Odin, he had watched Thors grief over the loss of his mother but they had never spoken of Loki. Could his brother truly be grieving the way this girl was suggesting? Her voice punctured his thoughts.  
"You didn't know?"  
"I did not."  
"Have you been in hiding? I mean, have you seen anyone? Does anyone know you're alive?"  
"Odin is...aware, but no one else."  
"And he didn't bother to tell Thor? That's cold."  
"The situation is far more complicated that you can imagine and right now there are more pressing matters to deal with" he snapped at her. This discussion was getting them nowhere and frankly it was none of this girls business.  
"Fine, no need to be a bitch." She muttered with a pout. She caught his eye and Loki couldn't stop his lips twitching into the briefest of smiles. She was strangely endearing when she pouted.  
"So.....what the fuck is actually going on?" she asked, turning to him and placing her hands on her hips. They had finally reached the little copse of oak trees so Loki decided it would be best to have this conversation while seated. He folded his tall frame and settled himself gracefully on the grass in a patch of shade and gestured for Darcy to do the same. She considered him for a moment before flopping down with absolutely no grace at all. Well, it was tough to be graceful in the Ironwoman suit.  
"As I said earlier, you were knocked unconscious by a piece of Elven technology. You have been in the care of healers on Asgard for the last two days, prior to that you were in a human hospital for three days...."  
"So, wait, its only been 5 days? But its felt like weeks." she interrupted.  
"Yes, its been 5 days, and this tale will go a lot faster if you stop interrupting me." Darcy rolled her eyes and stuck out her bottom lip in another exaggerated pout. That smile flickered across Lokis lips once again. He continued.  
"I believe the earthquakes, as you called them, were caused by something trying to penetrate your mind, to wipe you out and take posession of your body completely. When you were conscious in our world you were not yourself. You were strong, and you had....abilities I have not seen before. You did not recognise Jane or Thor and you seemed bent on escape, or worse."  
"So where are we now?"  
"We are in a corner of your mind you have not used since your childhood. I am hopeful that we can keep you hidden here for a few days, if not longer, while we find a way to pull the other force from your body."  
"Hopeful? So this plan of yours, you're making it up as you go aren't you?"  
"Perhaps, but it is a start." Loki rose to his feet "I must leave you for a time. There is work to be done outside. You should be safe here, and I will return soon to check. Good bye Miss Lewis"  
Loki turned away and concentrated again. Another door, green this time, appeared before him. He was about to reach for the handle when Darcy placed a hand on his arm.  
"Wait! Is any of this real?" she asked  
"Just because its happening in your mind doesn't mean it can't be real. It is simply a matter of perception" he answered. His words seemed to comfort her, as it was with a smile that she released her grip on his arm and replied  
"Okay Dumbledore, good to know."  
He didn't understand her comment but returned her smile, before opening the door and stepping through.  
Loki found himself returned to his body and was surprised to find that only a few moments had passed since he had begun his spell. As he released Darcys hands a wave of such complete exhaustion washed over him that he felt his magic slip from him for a split second. He swayed on the spot before supporting himself on the edge of Darcys bed and quickly dragging his magic back around him like a blanket. He once again concealed the book, before covering himself in his Odin disguise and leaving the infirmary, knowing that the sleep spell he had placed on Eir would fade in just a few minutes. He made his way quickly back to his rooms, hid the book in its magically shielded case and took straight to bed.  
At the end of Bifrost, in his observatory, Heimdall was still trying to understand what had flashed before his eyes moments earlier. Loki? Alive?


	10. what next

It was with a renewed sense of hope that Loki awoke the next morning. His Odin disguise was still in place and it took only moments for him to rise, change his clothes and make his way to breakfast. He was pleased with the previous nights success and he knew that, later that day, he would receive as much information as their scholars had managed to glean from the device that had caused all their problems. He still could not escape the nightmares that had plagued him since Darcys arrival on Asgard, but he was confident that today would answer many of his questions. He had been surprised by Janes willingness to stay with Darcy in the infirmary, rather than attempt to join the scholars in their work with the device, but he was sure that her inquisitive nature would not be subdued much longer and that once the questions started flowing they would not stop until she was fully satisfied. Breakfast was once again shared with Jane and Thor but it seemed that they did not share the kings uplifted mood. Jane looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes that contrasted with her increasingly pale skin, whilst Thor looked on edge, ready to fly into defence of his woman at any moment. He had even brought Mojlnir to the table, something he had not done before in the kings memory. Breakfast passed in near silence until the chief of Asgards scholars, Frode, arrived with his promised report.  
"Please, join us Frode" said the king, gesturing to a guard who understood to bring another chair. Thor raised his own hand, halting the guard.  
"There is no need for that, we will leave you to your business, father" Thor said, rising from his seat and extending a hand to Jane. The king was surprised.  
"I had thought you would want to hear this? Particularly you Miss Foster?"  
"Well, yes, actually I would like to hear what you're people have found out." she looked to Thor as though asking his approval to remain. Thor bent down and kissed her on the forehead.  
"Very well. I have business with Heimdall, I will return as soon as I can" and with that he siezed Mojlnir and launched himself from the balcony in the direction of the bifrost.  
"Well, Frode, what have you to tell us?" asked the king as Jane turned her seat so that she was almost square on to the scholar, so as to not miss a single word.  
"Well, my king, we have had great success with the device itself, although we are now at a loss as to why the girl has reacted in such a way"  
"Start at the beginning, Frode. Let us understand the device before we try to understand the girl." Jane took in every word the scholar said, understanding most of it, much to Frodes surprise. The device was no more or less than a means of long distance communication between Malekith and the Kursed. It created a psychic bridge across which two minds could meet and exchange thoughts and which could be easily opened and closed at will one the initial connection was made.  
"But what we don't understand is why the girl is still unconscious. Without Malekith or a Kursed elf to communicate with, the bridge should have simply collapsed within a few hours with no lasting side effects." Frode ended his explanation with a confused look that was mirrored on Janes pale face.  
"So why would she be violent? And why wouldn't she recognize me?" Jane asked.  
"The only possibility is that someone or something else discovered the bridge and has taken advantage of the connection, but who or what would have the psychic power to do that is a question we have yet to answer."  
The kings face was an inscutible mask, but beneath his disguise Lokis heart was racing. He had felt something terrifying the night he first tried to touch Darcys mind, when she had grabbed his wrist and snarled her threat, but he had done all he could to convince himself that he was mistaken. Now he was beginning to think he was wrong to dismiss his fears. Frode had continued talking, advising the king of the next steps they planned to take, including working alongside Eir and the other healers to collect physiological data, but Loki was no longer listening. If his fears were right, the situation was far more perilous than anyone knew.

While Jane and the king had been meeting with Frode, Thor had flown to the observatory to see the gatekeeper. Heimdall seemed distracted, a state that Thor had never before witnessed in the loyal servant of Asgard. Thors approach seemed to focus the gatekeepers concentation once again, as it was with his customary piercing gaze that he greeted his prince.  
"You wished to see me, good Heimdall."  
"I did, sire. Although I am not sure exactly what is is that I am about to tell you." Thor looked confused by the gatekeepers words. He began to pace the room, absentmindedly swinging mojlnir as he went.  
"By all means, my friend, tell me what is puzzling you and perhaps we can discern its meaning together."  
"I believe Loki is still alive." Heimdalls words actually caused Thor to stumble. He advanced on Heimdall with a look between fury and all encompassing grief.  
"I watched my brother die, Heimdall. I held him as the life left his body, as his skin turned to the colour of ash and as his last breath was lost on the wind. And now you say you BELIEVE he lives? Tell me what you know!"  
"My lord, I do not mean to grieve you. I saw him. Last night, for the briefest of moments, he was visible to me. He was in the infirmary with the human girl. I had only the most momentary glimpse of him before....."  
"SPEAK, HEIMDALL." Thor commanded  
"Before his visage was replaced by that of your father."  
"What do you mean, replaced?"  
"I mean that, one moment, I could see your father in the infirmary talking with Eir, the next moment I saw Loki in his place and just as quickly the image switched back to that of Odin." Thor had no words. It all sounded so impossible. Loki had given his life in defence of Thor, Jane and of their universe, for him to be alive would be a miracle. But Heimdall would never fabricate this. So it must mean that something caused Heimdall to see Loki in error or.....or what?  
"Have you told anyone else of this?" Thor asked, his fury leaving him.  
"No, my lord, only you."  
"Tell no one else. I must try to find answers first." With that Thor left the observatory to speak with the only person he knew he could trust, Jane.


	11. Odin?

Jane was more anxious than ever for Darcy following her meeting with Frode. As she sat besides Darcys bed, the scholars words were floating in her mind. What could be doing this to Darcy if the Dark Elves were gone? It was only when Eir placed a hand on Janes shoulder that she even realised the healer was present.  
"Is that not good news?" Eir continued, unaware that Jane had heard nothing the healer had been saying.  
"I'm sorry, Eir. What's good news?"  
"I said that Miss Lewis is much more peaceful. Her sleep seems to be less disturbed and we have been able to reduce the dose of sleep draught needed to keep her at peace."  
"What? Since when?"  
"Since last night, dear. I took a few moments rest while the king sat with her and when I returned to Miss Lewis she was showing signs of improvement. The readings showed reduced brain activity, consistent with a deeper sleep pattern, and when the time came for her next dose, she showed no signs of struggle as she had been previously."  
"That is good news, Eir, thank you." Jane was only slightly uplifted by this news as it still did not provide any of the answers she craved. Eir seemed to know what Jane was feeling. She took both of Janes hands in her own.  
"I know Frodes report is troubling you, child, but be assured, we are doing all we can for your friend and I have complete faith that she will return to you very soon. I wish to keep her sedated for a little longer while I conduct more tests but if she remains stable as she is now, I see no reason why we cannot wean her from the sleep draught and allow her to wake tomorrow." Eir had a comforting manner that settled Janes fears a little. As Eir handed over to another team of healers, Jane took Darcys hand feeling more relaxed and it was in the same position that Thor found her only moments later.  
Thors agitation was evident to Jane the moment he stepped into the infirmary. As she rose to meet him he practically lifted her from her feet in an embrace that told Jane the depth of his love for her better than words ever could. When he lowered her back to the ground, he wordlessly wound his fingers around hers and began to lead her from the infirmary.  
"Thor?" Jane began tentatively.  
"Not here, Jane. I need to talk with you somewhere....private."  
"Oh! Okay." Thor led her away from the palace and began to wind his way through gardens and groves of trees until the sounds of the citadel were far behind them and they were gazing out across the most beautiful ocean Jane had ever seen. Thor had been gripping her hand tighter and tighter as they had walked, and Janes fingers were beginning to become numb. As she tried to shift her fingers in his grasp, Thor seemed to finaly register how hard he was holding her and quickly let go.  
"I'm sorry."  
"Its okay." Jane replied, massaging life back into her numb fingers. "What's bothering you?" she asked, concern written all over her face. Thor relayed his entire conversation with Heimdall as Jane struggled to absorb the possibility of Loki being alive. She had felt no love for him when they first met but he had proven something powerful to her, and Thor, when he had seemed to die to save them. The thought of him being alive was a difficult one to process, made all the more difficult by the obvious hope that lit Thors features. He wanted Loki to be alive, that much was clear to Jane, but her more calculating mind couldn't allow her to feel the same.  
"What are you thinking, Jane?" Thor asked, noting that she had not spoken for many minutes.  
"It's just, if he is alive, why wouldn't he have come to you, or shown himself in some way?"  
"Perhaps he feared returning to his imprisonment?"  
"Then why would he be here at all? I mean, Heimdall said he saw him on Asgard, in the infirmary even. Why would he be there if he was hiding? Unless..." a truly devastating thought occured to Jane.  
"What, Jane? Please speak! I need your wisdom. I am ill equipped to deal with this alone." That much was obvious to Jane. Thor was pacing, running his fingers through his hair as though he was about to begin pulling it out and his eyes were practically closed, as though he was trying to shut the world out. Jane took his hands and led him to a bench overlooking the ocean. She held his hands in her lap for a moment while he reigned himself back under control. When he finally met her gaze he had forced back the tears that had threatened to fall and was steady again.  
"Please, Jane, tell me what you're thinking?" Jane took a deep breath, not wanting to verbalise the thought but being unable to force it back into depths it had sprung from.  
"What if he's hiding in plain sight, Thor?"  
"What do you mean?" he asked, deep down knowing the answer.  
"Odin." Jane replied in almost a whisper. There were so many subtle differences about him since Jane had last been on Asgard, differences she had put down to the losses for which she was responsible, but now, a different theory presented itself to her. She caught Thors eyes and could see the same conclusion being reached behind them.  
"What do we do?" she asked  
"I don't know?" Thor responded, dropping his head into his hands. "But we need to think quickly."


	12. Where were you?

It was late when Loki was finally able to retire to his room, and his true form. He had not seen Jane or Thor since finishing his meeting with Frode. Despite dinner having been laid for three, the king had had to eat alone. His day had been filled with the monotonous bureacracy that came with leading Asgard and he had tired eyes from reading boring paper after boring paper. It had not served as a good distraction from the fears that had settled on him earlier that day and so he had decided to revisit Darcy, to see what else he could glean about the force with which she was sharing her mind. But how could he do it without raising suspicion, after all, the king had barely set foot in the infirmary prior to Darcys arrival, so to visit this girl so regularly would look odd to say the least. Loki decided to test his strength. He filled the room around him with doubles, trying to maintain them all at once in different activities, one reading, one eating, some conversing and still others singing, playing games or practicing combat. His strength held out. He maintained the melee of activity in his room for 15 minutes without difficulty before slowly drawing each double back to himself. It took a further few minutes to prepare his new disguise, place an Odin double in the room readying himself for bed and to teleport himself to a safe distance from the kings room before allowing himself to become visible once again. It was as a member of the kings guard that Loki made his way to the infirmary. Once inside, having convinced the guards at the door that he was there on orders from the king, he set another sleep spell over the healer on duty, magicaly sealed the room and took his place beside Darcys bed. He once again conjured the door into her mind and stepped through it, this time straight into the impossiby green field he had left her. The door had barely closed behind him before he was knocked from his feet by a metal fist.  
"What the....." Loki began before an almost feral looking Darcy, still in the Ironwoman suit, advanced on him, pining him down with her legs while raining blow after blow to his head and torso.  
"YOU SAID YOU'D BE BACK! YOU LEFT ME HERE ALONE! You said you'd be back....." The blows stopped and Darcy collapsed onto Lokis bruised chest, her body shaking with sobs. He was stunned, to say the least, by her behaviour. It had been a day since he had last visited her. He knew that time was passing differently in her mind than on the outside, but he had no idea how long Darcy had been alone in this place. He slowly lifted himself to a seated position, with Darcy still leaning heavily on him, and focussed his mind to heal the wounds she had inflicted. Darcys sobs were beginning to subside when she realised what she had done. She jumped away from him and raised her hands in apology.  
"Oh my god, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry! I....I " she offered Loki her hand to help him up.  
"No lasting damage done, Miss Lewis. But I think I would be happier if, next time, you simply say hello." Loki took her hand and allowed her to help him to his feet. "That suit packs quite a wallop. It was a good choice." he added.  
"Choice?"  
"Yes. Your mind created everything you saw in your previous home. You told me you felt afraid, then you found the suit and your fear lessened. Your mind created the suit to help you feel safe and in control."  
"Oh! I hadn't realised that. Do you think my mind knows how to get it off me?"  
"What? You mean to say you're stuck in it?"  
"Well I wouldn't say stuck, just....yeah, I'm stuck." Darcy gave an embarrassed shrug of her shoulders while Loki found himself grinning.  
"You simply need to focus, hard, on removing it." Darcy screwed up her eyes and concentrated so hard she turned crimson. Then suddenly, the suit began to pull itself away from her body in the same way that Starks suit could, folding itself into a suitcase at her feet. Unfortunately, Darcy had been focussing so hard on removing the suit that she hadn't botherd to think about replacement clothing. She was now stood, completely naked, still with her eyes closed, before a stunned Loki. He quickly closed his eyes and cleared his throat in an effort to alert Darcy to her....situation.  
"Oh crap! What do I do?" she squealed.  
"Think about some clothing Miss Lewis" Loki said, keeping his eyes firmly closed. A few minutes later, after lots of cursing and what sounded like a few failed attempts at creating clothing, Loki finally received permission to open his eyes. Darcy was wearing a pair of jeans and an Avengers t-shirt and looking thoroughly humiliated.  
It was only now that Loki got a look at their surroundings, the area they were stood was still beautifully, unnaturally green and lush but 100 meters in every direction the grass had turned yellow, the trees were bare of leaves and even the sky was filled with clouds. Only one group of trees remained in full leaf and it was only a few feet away, at the centre of the ring in which they stood. Darcy, still red faced with embarrasment, sat herself on the ground under one of the trees and began picking at the grass at her feet. Loki seated himself in the sun opposite her.  
"How long has it been?" he asked.  
"Months. You've been gone for months. And every day that" she gestured to the dead grass and cloud filled sky "gets closer and closer."  
"Months? I've been gone for one day out there! It is still only 6 days since you were struck by the device."  
"6 days? That's not possible. Man, this is seriously fucked up. What the hell is happening to me? Am I dying?"  
"No, but something is trying to take possession of your mind, that much is clear to me. I need to find out what." Loki rose, and Darcy copied him. "No, Miss Lewis, you need to remain here."  
"Not a chance, I need to get out of here! And if finding out what's doing this to me is the answer then I am in." She looked determined to carry out her plan and so Loki handed her the Iron suit now posing as a suitcase.  
"Perhaps we removed this a little early. Put it back on and under no circumstances remove it until I tell you its safe to do so. You must follow every word I say, do you understand?"  
"I understand." she answered before adding under her breath "god, you're worse than Jane ' Darcy do this, Darcy do that'" she mimicd. Darcy pressed the suitcase to her chest and allowed the suit to re-wrap itself around her. As it did so, she watched Loki change from a simple green tunic and leather trousers, to a battle suit of his own, with black and green leather and golden chainmail and a golden helmet with huge curved horns. The final piece to fall into place was a long green cape that covered him from his shoulders to the floor. This was totally not an appropriate time for it but, damn! Without the crazy eyes and freaky army of aliens he'd been accessorising with last time she'd seen him in this get up, he was hot! Like, totally, bad boy, God of Rock HOT! Darcy gave her head a small shake to try and remove the increasingly inappropriate images that were massing there, before remembering that they were IN her head. What the actual fuck! This was going to require some serious explaining at a later date. For now, she just hoped that, wherever they were going, it was far away from the new fantasies that were suddenly coming to life. Loki put the finishing toches to his armour before conjuring a number of sharp silver daggers from nowhere and hiding them throughout his outfit. When he was finished he looked up to find Darcy staring at him with a look that he couldn't place. When she caught his eye she blushed, before looking away and twiddling with parts of her suit. Loki was puzzled but they had work to do so he pushed it from his mind and conjured a new door in front of him.  
"Are you ready?" He asked, extending his hand to her.  
"Yes." she replied, taking his hand as they both steped, one after the other, through the door.


	13. knowledge is power

Thor and Jane had spent most of the rest of the day on the beach discussing the Loki/Odin situation. Thor tried to explain the essence of Lokis magic, but with barely even minimal understanding of it himself, he couldn't give her the details she craved. If they were to force Loki to reveal himself Jane needed information.

Once they were sure the king had retired to his room, Jane and Thor set off to meet Heimdall. They told the gatekeeper of their suspicions. He, in return, gave Jane as much information as he knew of the powers Loki possessed, but he too was limited in his knowledge.  
"Loki can shield himself from me absolutely. He has the ability to create illusions so strong that not even I can penetrate them. I witnessed his death, as you did, and he was lost to me from that moment until last night. I have no idea when or how he could have returned, nor what could have happened to Odin." Heimdalls face reflected the fear that Jane shared, that the Allfather was dead at the hand of his adopted son.

Thor shook his head. He refused to believe that his brother could do that. Regardless of what he had said to Loki in the dungeons, Thor believed the brother with whom he had played as a child was still in there. The past few years had brought so much pain, to none more so than Loki, and Thor was determined to save his brother, as Loki had saved him on the dark world.

Jane broke the silence. She needed data and she had an idea who could provide it.  
"Heimdall, where are Tony Stark and Bruce Banner right now?" she asked. Thor began to question her, but she raised her hand to stop him.  
"Dr Banner is in his laboratory at Stark Tower and Mr Stark is at dinner with Miss Potts."  
"Can you send us to them? Me to Bruce and Thor to Tony and Pepper?"  
"Yes." was the gatekeepers reply as he began to ready the bifrost. Jane turned to Thor.  
"Go to Tony and Pepper and bring them back to Tonys place in the Tower. Bruce and I will meet you there." she rose onto her toes and kissed Thor before taking her place infront of the bridge and feeling the rush of adrenaline that she had come to associate with inter-planetary travel.


	14. Destruction

Nothing could have prepared Loki and Darcy for the assault on their senses as the door to the field closed behind them. They had arrived back where they had first met, in Stark Tower, but the view from the windows in front was one of complete destruction. It seemed that the tower was the only building left standing, everything else had been reduced to rubble and dust. Even the air around them seemed to be trembling and the floor on which they stood was vibrating so hard their teeth chattered in their skulls. The smell of smoke was heavy on the air. 

The moment Darcy had stepped through the door she had fallen to her knees with her hands over her ears and begun to rock back and forth, and it took all of Lokis will power not to do the same. Every voice Darcy had ever heard, every person she had ever loved, was screaming in agony. The sound was such a pitch that, try as he might, Loki could not make Darcy hear him over the din. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into his arms. He conjured the door to the field once more and began to step through it when Darcy grabbed him by the lapels and said something he could not hear. She jumped down from his arms and refused to step through the door. Finally Loki understod what she was saying.  
"NO!" she had yelled as loud as her lungs could manage, which still was not loud enough to be heard.  
She began to move through the Tower, away from the door to safety, and out towards the stairs. Loki allowed the door to dissolve away before following her.The noise was already making their heads pound by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs and exited the tower. Darcy had closed the Iron mask and so was hidden from Loki, but she could see the trepidation in his eyes as they stepped out into the destruction.

Everything Loki saw before him was another confirmation of his worst fears. He knew of only one being capable of this level of destruction, but he needed proof. He glanced to his left at Darcy and tried to guage what he could potentially accomplish with her tagging along. He decided to move forward with some recconnisance, knowing that if things got too dangerous they could escape quickly to the field. He gestured to Darcy, pointing to a spot directly behind him, hoping that she understood to follow closely. She imediately fell into step behind him and nodded. Loki advanced further into the rubble, pulling two of his hidden knives from his armour. For hours Loki and Darcy crept through the destruction of Darcys self built, safe haven, seeing nothing but collapsed buildings and wreckage. But as they approched the border of Darcytown the rubble of the former great wall restricted their view.

Lokis head was pounding, the screaming having continued all the time. He tried to indicate for Darcy to hide in the rubble of the wall while he carried on but she shook her head and resolutely stood her ground until he gave in and went on. They climbed as carefully as they could until they reached the top. Slowly, Loki raised his head over the ruins. Before him he saw something that momentarily stopped his breath. Spread out before him, all in chains, were thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of Darcys. It was as though every memory she had had been invaded and each Darcy pulled to this place. Towering over them was the very image that Loki had feared, Thanos. With an army of Chitauri at his bidding, he had stripped every part of Darcys memory and was practically holding her past life hostage. Loki had no idea what Thanos' end game could be, but now he knew he was right. Before Darcy could climb up and see, he turned and pulled her down. He shook his head frantically and held her wrist to prevent her from seeing the damage that had been done to her memories, to the very experiences that had made her who she was.

He conjured the door to the field and shoved Darcy through it before she could protest, flinging himself through and sealing it behind him. Darcy had lifted the visor on the Iron suit and had turned on Loki ready to give him a piece of her mind. She stopped short when she saw him. He looked like a man possessed. In fact, he looked like he had during the invasion of New York. He was pacing up and down, muttering to himself and gesturing wildly. Darcy approached him, still wearing the suit, not quiet sure she was any safer here with this new, mad Loki than she had been in the ruins of Darcytown. Loki stopped his pacing when he saw the fear in Darcys eyes, something he hadn't been able to witness while her visor had been down. He allowed his armour to melt away into a less threatening pair of leather trousers and green linen tunic. Darcy recognised the gesture and concentrated on removing the Iron suit, being sure to leave her jeans and t-shirt in its place.

"What did you see?" she asked him tentatively after a few moments. He caught her eye but shook his head, refusing to answer. "Okay. Well, what next? Do you have any new ideas to get me out of here? 'Cause I'm not thrilled at the idea of you leaving me here alone again and you look like you're gonna bolt at any moment." Loki could hear the fear in her voice and used it to anchor his mind back down before his own fear swept him away. He swallowed hard, trying to get rid of his dry mouth and throat. He motioned for her to sit and she dropped to the ground, waiting for him to do the same. Eventually he sat before her and took a deep breath.  
"There is much to explain, so please, allow me to tell my tale before you question it." Darcy nodded in silence, waiting for Loki to begin. He closed his eyes and tried to marshall his thoughts. Most of what he was about to say was agonising to remember, but she needed to know what they were up against and she deserved the right to understand how flawed the man before her truly was.


	15. Geek out!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The humans geek out. I am asking for some serious suspension of disbelief here when it comes to my vision of how Lokis power works! Just go with it!

It was a damn good thing that Bruce Banner had learned at least a small amount of control over the other guy. Once again, Jane had arrived in a less than subtle fashion, and the remnants of the test tubes he had been working with were now crunching under his feet as he tried to find something to wipe up the spilled puddle of chemicals now snaking its way across the floor.

"Sorry." Jane said, looking apologetic and heading for a dustpan and brush hanging next to a bin marked 'glass'. Together they made quick work of the spillage. Bruce was relieved she'd arrived when she had. 20 minutes earlier and there could have been rather more explosive consequences of dropped test tubes. Once the desk had been put back to rights and they had washed their hands, the friends shared a brief hug. It had only been 36 hours since they had last seen each other, but Bruce could see that a lot had happened to Jane in that time.

"What's going on?" Bruce asked.  
"Can we head upstairs? Thor should be bringing Pepper and Tony and I think it would be easier to tell you all together." Jane replied. Bruce led the way to the elevator and punched in the passcode that allowed him access to Tonys penthouse. The repairs following the invasion of New York were nearly complete and it was with a small laugh that Jane noticed a new section of glass flooring, preserving the Loki shaped dent where the other guy had smashed him into submission. Bruce smiled as he looked over the monument to the other guys handy work. He would probably never admit it out loud, but the fact that Tony not only accepted the other guy, but admired him, made Tonys friendship more valuable to Bruce than any he'd had before.

It was a matter of moments before Ironman appeared on the horizon, carrying Pepper in his arms, closely followed by Thor. As the suit was stripped from him, Tony was unveiled, wearing a sharp suit and as immaculately groomed as ever. Pepper looked beautiful in a floor length black dress that perfectly complemented her slim frame, and they looked every inch the billionaire glamour couple as they strolled into their penthouse. Jane would have been a bit jelous of them had her own God of Thunder not strode in behind them, looking windswept and spectacular.

"So, what's the story? Point Break wouldn't tell us anything, said you would clue us in when we got here." Tony moved towards his mini bar and poured him and Pepper a scotch. "Drinks anyone?" They all shook their heads so Tony took his drink in hand, gave Pepper hers, and seated himself on a long cream sofa looking out over the view of New York.

Jane told them of Heimdalls vision of Loki and their developing suspicions that he was alive and ruling Asgard in Odins place.  
"I know its a long shot, Tony, given how much damage was done, but is there any chance that J.A.R.V.I.S got any data at all on Loki? Thor tells me he used his magic up here at least once, to change into his armour, so if there's any information you can dig up, that would help?" Tony immediately removed himself from the sofa and took to a seat before a whole series of computer monitors. He brought up everything J.A.R.V.I.S had from the invasion, including data on the tesseract he was pretty sure S.H.I.E.L.D would kill to get their hands on, and began to filter through it for any information specific to Loki.

The rest of the group was silent while Tony worked, waiting for him to find what he was looking for.  
"Here." he called to them. "This is the surveillance footage J.A.R.V.I.S took, and here is the moment Reindeer Games did his outfit switcheroo." Jane and Bruce had taken position either side of Tony and were watching the screens intently. On the central screen was the video footage, while on either side were countless graphs and readings of everything J.A.R.V.I.S was measuring at the time. Bruce reached forward and rewound the footage to watch the magic ripple over Loki again, seeing something that was lost on Jane. He rewound the few seconds of footage again and a third time. On the fourth viewing, Jane thought she saw what had caught Bruces attention. On the fifth, she was certain. She exchanged a look with Bruce while Tony, who had obviously been waiting for the other two to catch up with him, looked up and said "I think we can work with that!"

Two hours later, Thor and Pepper were unpacking chinese take out in the kitchen while the nerd trio were working on a device of some kind that would help them deal with Lokis powers.  
"Do you understand any of what they're saying in there?" Pepper asked  
"Not much. I have no idea how Lokis and my mothers magic worked. I should have asked, perhaps, but it never occured to me. I had my power, he had his, it didn't matter to me how it worked. Perhaps I am guilty of the arrogance Loki always accused me of." Thor said heavily, spooning rice from a tinfoil container onto five plates. Pepper didn't know how to respond so she remained silent.

As Thor and Pepper brought them food, Jane, Tony and Bruce looked up from their work. Pepper dropped a kiss onto Tonys head as she put a plate in front of him, then put another plate in front of Bruce with a smile. When everyone had their food and was seated around the table there were a few moments of silence while everyone tucked in. Pepper chose to break the silence.  
"So, explain to me what's going on here?" she said, gesturing at the mass of wires, computer parts and circuit boards that had taken over their dining table and much of their living area. It was Tony who answered. He ran his fingers across his eyebrows, as though rubbing away the creases that had begun to form there.  
"The footage of Loki showed us something we hadn't noticed previously because we hadn't been looking. When he used his magic, there was a spike in radiation that we would associate with the bifrost, and with the tesseract, but J.A.R.V.I.S also picked up a momentary gravitational change, similar to the readings I got during my brief time as a nuclear bomb delivery system."  
"Well? What does that mean?" Thor asked, feeling out of his depth.  
"It means that he draws his powers from other dimensions." Jane responded "He taps into the energy of different dimensions and siphons off what he needs to create his illusion. Then, he allows that energy to filter back into its original dimension when he's done."  
"Does this information help us in anyway?" Thor asked, not even sure he'd understood what it meant, let alone how it could be useful.  
"Yes, it helps." Bruce chipped in. "Knowing that, we can calibrate this" he held up a small, hand held device that looked as though they had just built it from spares around Tonys apartment (which was exactly what they had done!) "to detect changes in gravitational energy and locate anything that is being concealed, created or otherwise altered by magic."  
"That is brilliant!" Thor grinned, full of pride in the woman he loved and their friends.  
"It will be if we can make it sensitive enough." Jane said, taking the device from Bruce and fiddling with a dial. Dinner was obviously over, so Pepper and Thor cleaned the plates away while the three nerdmigos carried on their work.


	16. the truth will out

Darcy had been waiting patiently for Loki to tell his story, and patience was not something she had in abundance! But she could tell he needed time to get himself together before he spoke, so she was contenting herself with watching him. He had his long legs stretched in front of him, crossed at the ankle, he was resting on his elbows with his eyes closed and his head tipped back as though trying to absorb some heat from the sun. Yep, he was most definately the sexiest demi god she'd ever seen. I mean, Thor was okay in that over muscled, weight lifting, conan the barbarian kind of way, but Loki was something else entirely. Tall, lean and dark haired, with eyes that revealed his every change in mood so expressively it was like they could speak. He also had the whole bad boy vibe surrounding him like a lust inducing black hole that Darcy had been totally sucked into.

She was indulging in some seriously r-rated thoughts when he finally decided to start his story. Damn, that fantasy had promised to get pretty spicy too! Darcy sat up a little straighter to show he had her attention, but his eyes were still closed.  
"I think you are aware of the situation that resulted in the destruction of the bifrost, so all you need to know was that I truly believed my 'father', if I can still call him that, had never loved me. I believed he had used me as a pawn in his power games with Laufey and that I no longer had any value to him. I chose to let go of my life, I chose to die rather than live every day with the knowledge that my family was nothing more than an illusion. But I didn't die. I fell into a black abyss. For what felt like years, I fell. Alone, surrounded by darkness and every unknown fear in the universe, I just kept falling. Until I landed somewhere...awful."

Loki took another deep breath, before sitting up and finally opening his eyes.  
"I was taken to a place of pain and suffering. Asked question after question about the nine realms, my magic and about Asgard under pain of torture. I refused to answer, for what felt like forever. Then, one day, I was so utterly broken, I couldn't keep the answers in anymore. I told them everything they wanted to know, showed them my magic, told them the workings of the nine realms, but never would I mention Asgard. Then one day, the questions of Asgard stopped and they started asking new things. Could I conceal myself from humans, could I read minds, make mental suggestions and all sorts."

"When I told them I could do all of those things they made me an offer. The torture would stop, if I helped them reclaim an item from Midgard, sorry, from Earth. I was sent, briefly, to a bunker of some kind, where Director Fury was showing your friend Eric the Tesseract. He wanted nothing to do with it, but I .... convinced him to take a look, before my time ran out and I was pulled back to hell. They did as they promised and stopped the torture. Instead they called it training. I was subjected to grueling physical testing, stripped bare of what little love and compassion I had left, and I was turned into a weapon. They set me loose on earth and your whole world nearly paid the price for my weakness" He put his head in his hands, as though looking at Darcy was a painful reminder of the human lives lost during his rampage.

"Weakness? You think giving in to torture means you're weak?" Darcy asked, unable to keep her promise to just listen.  
"You said it perfectly. I gave in. Thor would not have done so. Nor my fath... nor would Odin. I was weak."  
"Okay, poor choice of words on my part, but I still don't think you're weak. With the right leverage anyone could have been made to do what you did. Even Thor." Darcy considered taking his hand but couldn't quite work up the nerve to do it. Her words seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. His face was still a picture of self loathing. Loki continued.

 

"Anyway, after I was defeated, I was sentenced to life imprisonment. I was locked away when my mothers life was extinguished. All the tortures I faced at the hands of Thanos didn't even come close to the pain I felt when I heard she was lost. Then along came Thor, with an opportunity for vengeance. I had changed. I suddenly saw the brother I had loved once again. Our grief over the loss of Frigga united us in a way little else had done for many decades. When I fought to protect Jane, I was fighting for my mothers forgiveness, and for Thors. When I saw him being pummeled into the ground by that Kursed monster, I threw myself to his aid, knowing it could mean my demise. It did. I felt life leaving me. Thor held me and we...spoke. I think he understood the depth of my apology but I didn't get chance to ask before I died, for want of a better word."

Darcy couldn't believe she had ever thought this guy was evil. He was so thoroughly damaged she had no idea if he could ever be fixed. He had made terrible choices after the shock of his adoption and been driven to insanity and mania by torture but he had not ever been evil. But it was clear that he didn't share her opinion. He thought he was a monster. He continued with his story, seeming keen to get to the end.

"I don't know how I came back, or why. I woke up on the ground of the dark world alone. Thor and Jane were gone but they had left the long boat we had escaped in. I was afraid of being returned to the dungeons but I needed to know what was happening, so I disguised myself and travelled back to Asgard. I could get no information of the battle with the elves from the guards, and I was afraid to approach Heimdall in case my recent 'death' had weakened my disguise. Eventually I made a decision and approached the king. I don't know what made me do it, I probably just wanted to see his reaction, but I gave Odin the news of Thors disapearance and told him that a body had been found. He guessed who I meant. I don't know what I expected, but it was nothing like the reaction I got. Odin screamed, put his head in his hands and fell to the floor. I cast my magic to prevent anyone coming to investigate, and allowed my disguise to fall. I placed my hand on his shoulder and he lifted his face to see me. I told him I was sorry and he embraced me, but the shock was too much and he fell into the Odin sleep before we could exchange another word." Loki looked up at Darcy and she could see grief in every line of his face.

"Asgard was in disarray, and it needed a king. I took Odin to his chambers and activated the stasis unit that allows him to regenerate during his sleep, before taking on his appearance. I thought I could keep the realm calm until Thor could take the throne, but again I was weak. I began to enjoy ruling, so I was relieved when he refused the throne. Instead, I kept myself hidden from the only one truly grieving for me. I am not fit to be a brother, or a king." The self disgust in his voice was reflected in every inch of his body. He had visibly tensed, was clenching and unclenchng his fists and couldnt bring himself to meet Darcys eyes.

She felt herself moving, without really knowing what she was going to do. She shuffled across the grass to sit beside Loki, pressing her right hip and shoulder against his left. Then she reached for the hands he had knotted in his lap and entwined her fingers with his. She didn't know what to say that wouldn't sound like pity, so instead she just sat beside him, silently supporting him while he gathered his final thoughts.

"It was Thanos. He is the thing trying to destroy you. He has turned his mind to Asgard, and after my failure on earth I can only assume that he is after me too. He must have felt the bridge to your mind open, seen your memories of Thor and Jane and seen a way into Asgard. When I visited you that first night, you grabbed me and told me that you could not be fooled by my disguise. Thanos knows I'm here. He will destroy you to create a path to Asgard, and to me, and I dont know how to stop it."

He finally looked into Darcys eyes. "He has stripped your memories. That was what I prevented you from seeing. This version of you is a manifestation of your conscious mind. As long as you are safe, you will maintain your memories, your sense of self, everything that makes you, you! But if he takes you, that will be lost forever. I have to find a way to save you. Even if only to prove to Thor that I can be the brother he grieved for." Loki rose to his feet, a new resolve settling over him, momentarily wiping out the fear and self loathing.

"And here I was thinking you wanted to save me for my good looks, wit and charm!" Darcy teased, not really having any other way to process what she had just been told. She found herself also rising to her feet. She had little choice, as her fingers were still entwined with his. He looked down at their clasped hands and slowly let hers fall from his grip.  
"I promise that I will come back soon. Thanos is distorting the passing of time here so I don't know how long it will feel, but I will come back." He conjured a silver dagger from thin air. "Wear the suit, and fight anything that isn't me. Keep this close. It will remind you of me and my promise. I will return." He bent down and touched his lips to Darcys cheek, before conjuring the green door that took him back to his own body.

It took a few seconds for Loki to adjust to being back in his own body, and the sight that met his eyes when he could finally open them did not bode well for his immediate future. He was in his own form, holding the unconscious Darcys hands, with a furious looking Thor in front of him. Jane was stood slightly to his right with some kind of handheld computer that was beeping frantically and Heimdall was stood on his left with his characteristic piercing gaze looking rather more vengeful than he had ever seen it before. He had no idea what made him say it, but the words were out of Lokis mouth before he could stop them.

"Hello, brother. Did you miss me?"


	17. Hello brother.

Loki slowly picked himself up off the floor, rubbing the left side of his jaw where Thors right hook had landed. He eyed his brother warily as Thor approached. Loki had his back against the wall and nowhere to run. If he tried to escape to his left he would be faced with a confrontation with Heimdall, not something he wanted to experience. He could try to escape to the right, but that would mean knocking Jane out of his way, and he was pretty sure there would be nowhere in the nine realms he could hide if he injured Thors woman. These thoughts had flashed through Lokis mind in a split second as Thor came closer.

He resisted the urge to conjure his dagger, and instead kept his arms by his sides, trying to look as passive as possible. Thor grabbed Loki by the throat, pinning him against the wall and lifted Mojlnir threateningly above his head.  
"What have you done with father?" Thor boomed.  
"He is hidden in my old chambers, in the Odin sleep." Loki decided honesty would be the best policy.  
"How long have you been in his place?"  
"Since your triumph over Malekith." Again, honesty won out.  
"Months? Months, Loki! You have been alive all this time! Why did you not show yourself to me? Why would you pretend like this?" Loki opened his mouth to answer but Thor stopped him. "Don't tell me, I already know the answer. Loki wanted a throne! And to see me grieved! Is this some kind of vengence? Some twisted scheme to repay me for preventing you taking the earth?" Loki could see grief in his brothers face, and he was reminded of the loss of Frigga. His love for his brother was not dead, and it saddened him to see Thor like this.  
"That is not the truth of it, brother" Loki all but whispered.

Thor released Loki and lowered Mojlnir, though he did not lessen his grip on the hammer. Loki stood before him, rubbing his throat and swallowing.  
"What is the truth, brother? I believed you dead. Again! I mourned you, even more deeply because of the manner of your death. But it was all a lie?"  
"NO! Thor, I died. Or at least, I believed I was dying. I took a final breath in your arms and then I knew no more until I awoke, alone. I hid, to begin with, because I did not wish to return to the dungeons. I revealed myself to Odin, but the shock...he collapsed. I put him into the stasis chamber and took his place until you returned. But you didn't want the throne and I...I... I didn't want to give it up." Lokis head dropped in shame at the last seven words. "Asgard was broken, Thor, worse than ever before. It needed its king. I was trying my best to fix some of the damage the elves caused, and to make reparations for my past mistakes. I am still trying."

Thor studied his brother closely. He was desperate to believe in Loki once again, to trust him and to go into battle with the trickster at his side, but was there too much water under that bridge? While Thor was appraising him, Loki looked to Jane.  
"Hello again, Miss Foster."  
"Hello." she replied.  
"Well, at least you haven't punched me, too." Loki saw the ghost of a smile flit across her lips as she remembered their first meeting.  
"I still haven't ruled it out." she answered back, receiving the briefest of smiles in return. Thor was totally at a loss. He had no idea what he should do. Jane seemed completely calm on one side, while on the other he could feel the anger bubbling through the air from Heimdall. Heimdall had not appreciated being frozen by Loki, and it seemed he could hold a grudge like a bitchy teenager.  
"Heimdall, go to Lokis chambers and check on the Allfather. Loki, is there any protection on the room that you need to lift?" Loki closed his eyes for a second.  
"It is done. Although you penetrated the protection I had here without difficulty. How did you manage that? I'm guessing you had a hand in it, Miss Foster?" Thor continued his conversation with Heimdall, who left the infirmary with one final grudging look, but Loki was focussed on the device in Janes hand. "What is this?" he asked. Jane hesitated, unsure whether or not to answer, but at the subtlest of nods from Thor, she went ahead.  
"We managed to work out the source of your magic. You draw energy from alternate dimensions to create your illusions, then send it back again when you're done. This device picks up on the tiny gravitational waves left behind, telling us where you've been, and over a small area, like a door, it can reverse the effects long enough for us to penetrate." there was a look of pride on Thors face as he stepped behind Jane and rested his hands on her shoulders.  
"That is very clever, Miss Foster. Congratulations." Loki said, without a hint of sarcasm.  
"I had help." she shrugged. Loki could guess at least one of her helpers was Tony Stark. 

Thor stepped towards Loki, who again remained passive. He gesture a hand at Darcys sleeping form.  
"What were you doing here, brother?" Loki had momentarily forgotten the terrifying situation unfolding in Darcys mind at that moment. He looked to Darcy.  
"She is in great danger, Thor. I was trying to help her, but I fear that I may be running out of time." Loki took a breath, before plunging into his story for the second time that evening. He told Thor and Jane of his torture at the hands of Thanos, of Thanos' fury at Lokis failure and of the impending destruction of Darcys memories. He did not mention his increasingly confusing feelings for the woman lay in front of them. She had tried to defend his actions, seen a man rather than a monster. And, despite everything he had told her, she had chosen to move closer to him. To take his hands in hers and provide wordless comfort. He hadn't known why he'd kissed her cheek before he left, it was not a gesture he had planned. It simply felt like the right thing to do. Like an acknowledgement of the support she had offered, and a thank you.

Thor could see something flickering across his brothers face as Loki looked at Darcy, but he wasn't sure what. He had enough to think about at that moment, so he decided to file that under 'investigate at a later date and allow it to fall from his thoughts. Instead, he took Janes hands and pulled her a few steps away. In as low a voice as he could, he spoked to Jane.  
"What do we do?" he asked. Jane practically laughed in his face.  
"Sorry! But...You're asking me? I haven't got the first idea what we should do! This" she said, shaking the magic detector in Thors face "is what I know. This I understand. Your world, how it works, your laws I don't have a clue about, Thor." She looked from Loki to Darcy, before looking back to Thor.  
"You think he can help her?" Thor asked

"Yes. Eir said she was more peaceful since last night when Odin, I mean Loki, first visited her, so whatever he's done has helped. I just don't know if we can trust him." Thor sighed at her words.  
"Nor do I, but at this point it seems we have no choice."


	18. what now

Loki was once again disguised as one of the kings guards as he walked towards the room he had taken over when he had become Odin. Thor was marching along at his side, keeping Mojlnir ready in case Loki decided to make a break for it. Jane was just a few steps behind, device in hand monitoring Loki to ensure he didn't try anything. The machine could only give them a split seconds warning if Loki began drawing magical energy, but it might be enough to give Thor chance to act.

As they entered his new room, Loki allowed his disguise to fade and was once again stood before Thor in his own skin. The brothers eyed each other warily. Neither realised it, but no one wanted to be the person who struck first. Jane had begun fiddling with the now screaching magic detector, which seemed to be going haywire in the presence of the strongest of Lokis security spells. He allowed his concealment from Heimdall to fall away, feeling the increasing strain on his body begin to relax. The machine calmed as Jane placed it on a small bookshelf.

Jane knew she would have to be the mediator in this particularly screwed up situation, so she seated herself at a small round table near to the balcony and gestured to the brothers to do the same. As they sat down, and the moonlight caught their faces, Jane saw pain. She wasn't a great judge of character, but she had a hunch that both of the men before her wanted the same thing, his brother back. Well, that could happen, right?!

"Let's get to it. Loki, tell us everything you can about what's happening to Darcy" Jane commanded. Loki began without any hesitation.  
"When the bridge was opened, I'm guessing Thanos sensed it. A device like that would have created psychic ripples and Thanos watches for ripples like that, in the hope it will lead him to some new plaything." Loki gave an almost imperceptible shiver. "He must have taken a look into Darcys mind, and through her memories of Thor, realised she was a potential pathway to Asgard."  
"But Darcys never been to Asgard. Its a really tenuous connection?" Jane commented.  
"Thanos wouldn't care. No matter how small the link. If it could get him in, great. If not, its still a mind to destroy, and that's always fun to him." Loks shiver was far more obvious this time.  
"What were you doing in the infirmary? You were holding her hands. Why?" Jane pressed. Loki could see the inquisitive, tenacious, scientist coming through as she sat up a little straighter and her voice became stronger.  
"I was working a spell. When I tried to access Darcys mind the first night she was here I met resistance, that I now know came from Thanos. I hadn't focussed on an entry point, I was just pushing at random doors, hoping one would open. And when one did, it was Thanos who answered. He recognised me, and was somehow able to control her body long enough to tell me so. The sedation was increased shortly after so he hasn't had physical control since. I looked for a spell. One that would allow me to search for a specific part of Darcys mind and make contact, specifically, her dormant, conscious mind. The second night, I went to her and perfrmed my spell, opening a do ir to the part of her mind that housed her consciousness. She had built up a city, protected by a great wall, in which to hide, but Thanos was attacking. When I found her, I worked the next stage of the spell. It found the darkest, most protected part of her memory and allowed me to hide her there." Jane looked amazed by what she was hearing, while Thor just looked confused. Loki found the contrasts between these lovers amusing, but now was not the time to mention it. in fact, he doubted there would ever be a good time to bring it up.

Loki continued his story, telling them of the pounding he'd received at the hands of a terrified Darcy, the strange sense of time she experienced, of their fact finding mission and of the stripping down of Darcys memories.  
"If Thanos finds her consciousness, Darcy will be lost to you forever." he finished. He hadn't mentioned his list of confessions, nor her response to them. Instead he had rubbed his hands under the table, remembering the warmth of her fingers knotted with his. He quickly pushed the memory to the side. "Don't be a fool" he mentally snarled to himself.

Jane was taking a few moments to absorb this new information, while Loki had slipped into his now customary state of self loathing. Thor was simply sitting and waiting for the two great minds at the table to tell him what to do next. He was a doer, not a thinker, and he knew it.


	19. Planning

Heimdall was not happy. Loki had decieved him for so long. His king could have been murdered and he would not have known. What was it Loki had once said to him?  
"Perhaps your senses have dulled in your many years of service." That was certainly how it felt right now. Heimdall approached the princes room and tentatively pushed on the door, expecting all kinds of booby traps to spring to life. None did.

He stepped fully across the threshold, and glanced around. The room was exactly how Loki had left it prior to his fall from the bridge. The only difference was the stasis unit that had replaced Lokis four poster bed. Inside the stasis unit lay Odin. He looked small, bereft of his armour and helmet, and covered in a green silken sheet. Heimdall was surprised to see the care with which Odin had been settled on countless green silk pillows, and the presence of a glass locket that possessed a lock of golden hair that had been placed in the hand above the covers. The gatekeeper could sense the youthful spirit of Frigga in the hair, and his shock deepened as he recognised it as a gift Loki had made their queen as a young boy. He knew that Frigga had returned it to him during his imprisonment, trying to remind him of her love, and now it lay in the hands of the father Loki claimed to hate.

Satisfied that Odin was safe, that the stasis chamber was doing its job of allowing him to regenerate and that no harm had come to him at Lokis hand, Heimdall withdrew. Thor had requested an update as soon as possible so he focussed his vision on Thor and divined their location. It was with a slightly lightened heart that he made his way to the kings chambers. He knocked, and entered at the invitation of Thor. He crossed the room and began his report, avoiding meeting Lokis eye.  
"Odin is safe, sire. The stasis unit is doing its job and he appears to be regenerating well." Heimdall looked briefly at Loki, who was looking down at the floor, before adding "He seems to have been well taken care of." Loki looked up quickly, surprised by Heimdalls admission.  
"Thank you, Heimdall. Please be seated, we would benefit from your advice." Heimdall seated himself between Loki and Thor and listened as Thor relayed all the information they had gleaned. Heimdall listened in silence, showing no outward signs of agitation. Inside, however, his mind was whirring. Loki had been told he was the offspring of monsters, before being tortured into insanity? When he finally returned home he lost his mother, but he was still willing to give his life to save a brother who had not doubted for a second that Loki would betray him. Heimdall still planned on a conversation with Loki regarding their little freezing incident, but it was with a newfound sympathy that Heimdall considered his fallen prince.

Their discussions continued long into the night, as every detail they knew was picked over and dissected. It was clear that they did not know enough about Thanos, or his intentions, to make any kind of coherent plan. So the decision was made to return Loki to Darcys mind to gather information and to protect her from whatever dangers she faced. Meanwhile, Jane, Thor, Heimdall and Janes human friends, Tony and Bruce, would research everything they could find about the device and Thanos in the hope they could shut down the link before it was too late. Loki gave a wave of his hand, causing the magic detector to begin its frantic beeping and both Thor and Heimdall to jump to their feet with their weapons raised. Loki raised his eyebrows in almost amusement as a series of heavy tomes materialised on the table in front of them. As the detector once again fell silent and Thor and Heimdall returned to their seats, Loki turned to Jane.  
"These texts are in ancient Asgardian. I can implant the language in your mind that will allow you to read them, with your permission?"  
"Go ahead." Jane replied immediately, but Thor grabbed Lokis outstretched wrist before he could touch her. Loki met his brothers eyes.  
"I swear to you, brother, I mean her no harm." Thor nodded and released his grip. Loki touched two fingers to Janes forehead and a faint green wave rippled down Lokis arm. The detector gave one feeble beep as the aura intensified very slightly, then faded to nothing. Loki lowered his arm and handed Jane the topmost book. She took it and read the title looking at Loki for confirmation.  
"Magics of the Nine Realms." he nodded.

Jane and Thor stayed in the kings chambers, beginning their research, as Heimdall led a disguised Loki back to Darcys bedside. Without hesitation, Loki took her hands and closed his eyes, ready to revisit the woman who's touch had been on his mind all evening, no matter how much he tried to push the thoughts away. As he closed his eyes, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up quickly to see Heimdall looking as though he wished to speak. The words didn't seem to come, however, as the gatekeeper gave a short nod and removed his hand. Heimdall turned his back on Loki, taking up a position by the door to guard them from intrusion. As Loki turned back to Darcy, Heimdall finally spoke.  
"I will protect you, my lord."


	20. he's coming back

"He's coming back, he's coming back, he's coming back, he's coming back" Darcy had been repeating this mantra on and off for weeks. Wrapped in the Iron suit with the silver dagger Loki had given her clutched in her hands, she had been rocking back and forth trying to ignore the ever increasing hammering on the sky above her. It was as though the place she was in was a dome, and something huge and terrifying was fighting to get in. The grey, cloud covered sky dissapeared with every blow, revealing a deep blackness, before the clouds flashed back into place. It had been weeks since Loki had left her here, with his promise to return and a parting kiss that, despite its chasteness, had sent spirals of longing through her.

The thought of Loki, his hands and lips, had kept her fairly well entertained for the first few days of her isolation. But then the greenness had faded from her hiding place entirely and the realisation of what was threatening her made even fantasising about Loki an insufficient distraction. The grass was yellow, the trees were dead and the temperature had risen to an almost unbearable level. It had only been a few days before the bangs started, distant and quiet at first, but increasingly close and deafening. She had curled herself into a ball, with her back against one of the now dead trees, and begun to rock and chant, and she had barely moved for days.

It was in this position that Loki found her. She hadn't even registered his arrival, so the weight of his hand on her shoulder sent her flying from him in terror. When she realised that it was actually him, and not a figment of her imagination, she practically jumped into his arms. She didn't care about the potential consequences as she pressed her lips against his, desperate to feel something other than the constant fear she had been subjected to while he was gone. She was crushed when he pulled away almost instantly, with a look of shock. Darcy was so embarrassed she turned away from him and tried to hide her reddening cheeks, but he stepped forward and brought her back round to face him. He lifted his hand and stroked his long fingers down the side of her face, making Darcy shiver with desire. When she looked up into his eyes, she saw confusion, hope and desire in equal measure. She made a decision. She took a tiny step backwards before concentrating hard. The iron suit folded itself away from her, replaced with a simple green tunic, in what she guessed was Lokis favourite shade as it was the one he always seemed to wear.

Loki had no idea what Darcy had been thinking when she kissed him. He had pulled away from the contact, not wanting to be something Darcy would regret if they made it out alive. Despite her attempt to hide it, Loki saw the redness spread across her cheeks and he gave in to hope. She was strong and beautiful. They had spent barely a day together, but that time had been a rollercoster of danger, fear and honesty. This woman knew him better than most of the people he had spent his life alongside, so he reached out. Besides, what was wrong with some comfort during the darkness. He turned her to face him and touched her blushing cheeks. It was with a mounting desire he watched her allow her armour to drop away and reveal a plain tunic that matched the colour of his own.

They both stepped forward at the same moment, arms enclosing the other in a tight embrace. Darcys hand had swept around Lokis waist as his wrapped around her shoulders and his fingers wound themselves into her hair. Their kiss was filled with desire, passion and loneliness. Darcy flicked her tongue gently over his lips and he parted them slowly, allowing her to caress his tongue with hers. They felt the weight of their situation melt away in that kiss, until the ground shook beneath their feet and they were forced to break apart. Lokis green eyes were sparkling and Darcy was still having trouble catching her breath when another blow hit that shook them off their feet.

As Darcy picked herself up off the floor, she registered the increased intensity of the attack on the dome. She had to practically shout over the hammering noise all around them.  
"Its getting worse! Is that because of you?" she asked him.  
"Probably. We need to move." he held out his hand to her. She grabbed the Iron suitcase and took his hand. Loki concentrated harder than he ever had before, trying to scan her mind for a safe place. He found somewhere Thanos had yet to penetrate but it would be difficult to get to. He felt for a route through the wreckage of Darcys mind, and eventually conjured a door the multi colours of oil on water. He reached forward and opened the door. They felt resistance as they walked through, as though they were struggling against a gale force wind, but they managed to close the door behind them.

As the door closed, the only chink of light was lost, leaving them in complete blackness. They were still holding each others hands as they waited for their eyes to adjust. Eventually, the slightest spot of light became visible in front of them. They had no idea how far away the light was, but they had no choice but to head towards it. They began to walk.


	21. Alone at last

Loki and Darcy had been walking for hours when they finally reached the source of the light. It was a single, bare lightbulb, hanging from a ceiling they couldn't see. Darcy and Loki were stood beneath the bulb when she allowed herself to feel how exhausted she was. She remembered nights curled up in her comfy armchair with a blanket watching geeky movies. God, she wanted that chair so much. As the thought formed in her mind, the chair she was reminiscing about appeared in front of her. Darcy was too exhausted to care how the chair had come into being, instead she dropped into it with a moan of satisfaction and allowed herself to close her eyes and revel in the comfort. She suddenly remembered Loki, and sat forward in her chair.

"Do we need to talk about...stuff?" she asked him.  
"Not if you don't want to." He answered.  
"Good." she breathed, throwing herself at him and diving back into the pleasure of his kiss. He responded with equal vigour, practically lifting her off her feet in his desperation to be close to her. Loki let out the smallest gasp when a huge, sumptuous bed materialised several feet behind Darcy, complete with silk and egyptian cotton sheets, an ornate bed frame and a stunning canopy held up by four beautifully carved wooden posts. The sight convinced Loki of what Darcy really wanted better than almost anything else could have. He suddenly broke their kiss and lifted Darcy into his arms. She hadn't even realised she'd called the bed forth, but gave a gigle when she saw it waiting to receive them. She looked into Lokis eyes. God, they were magical.

Loki settled Darcy onto her feet right against the bed before dropping his head to kiss her again. This time he took the lead, teasing her lips and tongue with his, pulling gasps and moans of longing from her throat. The effect on him was like a narcotic. The more she gasped, the more he wanted her. He slid his hands from her hair expecting to find the material of her tunic against his skin. Instead, he found more skin. He pulled away and looked down at the completely naked woman in front of him and laughed in surprise. Darcy was not impressed by his laugh. She tried to cover herself with her hands, but Loki took them in his own to stop her.  
"I'm sorry! Perhaps laughter was not the right response. But I have never known anyone quite so... clear in their intentions. Its refreshing" He released her hands, allowing his to wind around her waist again, pulling her close to continue their kiss. He snaked a hand back into her long dark hair, while the fingers of the other traced small circles from hip to hip across the small of her back.

Darcys hands had made their way under Lokis tunic, exploring every one of the beautifully defined muscles of his back and shoulders. The pressure of his lips gradually relaxed, as he pulled her hair gently to tip her head back. His kisses began to trace their way down her throat and across her clavicle, causing her to shiver with pleasure. She felt Lokis lips curve into a smile against her throat as he moved back up and planted another slow, lingering kiss on her parted lips.

The tension in her body was reaching boiling point thanks to Lokis almost lazy pace, and she took action to get what she wanted. She siezed the hem of Lokis tunic and lifted it slowly upwards, placing a trail of kisses from the waistband of his trousers up the centre of his body as she revealed more of him. She tugged the top right over his head and threw it in a crumpled mess onto the floor, before resuming her exploration of his body. She traced her lips across his chest, swirling her tongue around each of his nipples and eliciting a beautiful gasp of pleasure as she did so.

Darcy sat herself on the edge of the bed in front of him and wrapped her arms around him, cupping his gorgeous backside and pulling him just a little closer. His hands were back in her hair as she kissed and licked her way from one hip to the other just above the waistband of his trousers. She looked up at him and met his eyes with a smile, which he returned, before she began to kiss the bulging evidence of his arousal through the soft material between them. It didn't stay between them for long as she siezed the waistband and pushed them down his thighs and allowed them to drop to his ankles. He kicked them away to join his crumpled top, before looking down at Darcy with a boyish grin that to totally contradicted the glorious, engorged length of him in front of her.

"Wow!" she practically gasped. "You seriously are a god!" Loki threw his head back and laughed, before bending forward, pressing a forceful kiss to her lips and lying her back on the bed. His lips and tongue snaked their way down her neck to lavish their attention on her breasts, licking and sucking first one nipple then the other. Darcys hands were clawing at the sheets, balling into fists with every new wave of pleasure that washed over her. As his lips continued their task, he trailed one of his long fingered hands delicately up the inside of her thigh. Darcy slammed the back of her head into the bed with a gasp as they brushed her centre.

Loki moved his kisses to her lips once more, as his fingers found her clit and began a gentle spiral that drove Darcy wild. She began to move her hips against his hand, wanting desperately to increase the friction his fingers were creating, but instead he stopped. She was ready to scream at him in frustration, until she saw the look in his eyes. The pupils were dilated to such an extent that only the smallest halo of green could be seen, and the smile on his face was a heady mix of lust and total filth! It was stunning.

He resumed the slow, steady spiralling tease over her clit as he began to kiss and lick his way further down her body. His smouldering gaze quickened her heart even more as he ducked his head between her legs. His tongue took over what his fingers had started and she could already feel the mounting heat and tension of a building ogasm. He slowly inserted a finger inside her, smiling smugly when he realised just how wet she was, and began to flex it as though inviting her to come. When that brought a groan of pleasure from her, he added a second finger, gently sliding them in and out of her as he caressed her clit with his tongue.

"Oh my god, Loki. Please don't stop." she begged in an almost strangled voice. He smiled again as he quickened his pace. Darcy could feel the increasing tightness and knew that she would last only a few more seconds. Loki knew it too, and he took great pleasure in feeling her body tighten and her voice scream his name as her orgasm hit. She arched her back and cried out in pleasure, and he waited until her post orgasmic shudders had subsided before slowly removing his fingers.

Darcy pushed herself up onto her elbows, before scooting up the bed to the mountain off fluffy pillows. She gave Loki her best come hither gaze and it was pretty bloody effective! Almost faster than she could process he was leaning over her and kissing her again. The kisses were a whole new level of awesome. Loki took total control, stroking and teasing her tongue and lips with his. As he kissed her, she slid her hands down his body to stroke his hard cock. She felt him gasp against her lips as she teased him, but she wanted much more than just to tease him. She broke away from his kiss and lowered herself down the bed very slightly, allowing her access to his throat. She kissed his adams apple and his clavice. At the same time she gently slid his cock against her clit and down to her entrance. He didn't need any more encouragement than that. Slowly and gently he eased himself inside her, with Darcys hands squeezing his backside. Once he was fully inside her, he began to move. Darcy could tell he was trying to be slow and gentle, but she was just too far gone for slow. She wanted him! She arched her back, slid her hands up his back and dug her nails into his shoulders until he gave her what she needed. His pace almost doubled, and the thick wet slide of him inside her brought small screams of pleasure with every thrust. She could already feel herself tightening around him as her orgasm built higher and higher. His breath in her ear was ragged and rushed, and his gasps of pleasure only heightened her feelings of exctasy.

"Loki" she gasped, as her orgasm threatened to boil over.  
"Come for me, Darcy" he purred in her ear. It was with a scream of total abandon that she did as he commanded. Her body shook with the intensity of it and Loki followed suit almost immediately. Shaking and quivering in each others arms, they descended from their ogasmic high. Loki rolled off her with shaking arms and tried to move away to retrieve his clothes, but she wouldn't let him. Naked and entwined in each other, they covered themselves in the softest sheets Darcy had ever felt and fell asleep.

Back on Asgard, Lokis body dropped to the floor, still holding Darcys hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those of you used to my pretty much twice daily updates, sorry this took so long! Two reasons for it.  
> 1-I have devil children  
> 2-This stuff is way easier to read than to write! I'm still not 100% happy with it but I think it'll do for my first attempt!
> 
> Ps, thanks to those of you who have bookmarked, commented and generally stuck with my rambling tale up to now! I'm really glad people like it!  
> MiM  
> x


	22. recruitment

Loki had been holding Darcys hands, with his eyes closed, for only a matter of seconds when his body crumpled to the floor. Heimdall jumped forward to catch the Asgardian prince, supporting him under the shoulder and attempting to move him to a nearby empty bed. It was impossible. Lokis grip on Darcys hands was unbreakable. Heimdall lowered Loki back to the floor as gently as he could, before sliding the empty bed alongside Darcys and manouvering the fallen prince onto it.

Heimdall was at a loss of what to do. He couldn't leave Loki here, in his true form, in case he was found, but likewise he needed help. This collapse had not been part of their plan. Heimdall watched Loki as he slept, noticing how much younger and more carefree he looked at that moment. His duty as gatekeeper often kept Heimdall isolated from others, but he couldn't imagine the lonliness Loki must have felt finding out his life was a lie. And he had been alone pretty much ever since. Heimdall suddenly understood the young prince a little better.

Thor and Jane were on their way along the bridge to bifrost. Jane knew that she would not be able to help Loki and Darcy alone, and so they were on their way to, hopefully, pick up some willing helpers. Jane knew that Tony would jump at the chance to see Asgard, but it was really Bruce she needed and she had a feeling he'd be harder to persuade. Thor was fascinated by the myriad of different emotions flickering over Janes face, as she played through every incentive she could think of to get Bruce to agree to help. Loki was particularly high on Bruces shit list, and the other guy would definately enjoy another opportunity to play 'smack my prince up', so it was going to be tough to convince him that it would be safe. Bruce was not concerned for his own safety, but for that of others, which made it even more difficult to come up with a good arguement. They had Odins staff with them, which would allow Thor to control the bifrost in Heimdalls absence, and they knew from the gatekeeper that their friends could be found together in Tonys workshop.

As Thor waved goodbye to Jane and initiated the bifrost, he heard hooves on the bridge, signalling the arrival of the only other people on Asgard he knew he could trust. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three dismounted near the entrance to the observatory, and gave Thor a tentative bow. Their had been a great distance between Thor and his friends since they helped him free Loki and Jane. Thors grief had changed him and so it had been many weeks since they had spoken. Nonetheless, they had all answered his summons, despite the very early hour.

"My friends!" Thor greeted, genuinely pleased to see them. He embraced them all, feeling relieved that they had come to his aid when he asked. He wasted no time explaining the situation, and they each responded exactly as he knew they would. Sif was all righteous fury that Loki could do such a thing as impersonate their king, the fact of his almost endless torture at the hands of Thanos lost on her. Hogun was his usual display of silent strength, nodding to show his understanding but otherwise uncomunicative. Volstag asked a few simple questions to guage the potential threat that Thanos posed, but it was Fandral who asked after Loki. Where was he? Was he safe? Fandral had always been the most friendly towards Loki, and his choice of question, was he safe not was he under guard, was something that lifted Thors spirit ever so slightly.

Thor knew that the information they had was limited, but he also knew that he had dragged this quartet into battle with far less, so he was unsurprised when they all indicated that they were happy to help their friend. They had the brawn, no all they needed were the brains, and that task was in Janes hands.


	23. Ice Ice Baby

Loki could hear voices around him, but was unable to move or open his eyes. He could feel Darcy pressed against his chest, her legs wrapped around his, breathing slowly and evenly. She was asleep in his arms. He could feel her, and yet he could also feel other hands. One opened his eyelids and shone a light into his eyes, while another had slipped something onto the arm beneath Darcy that was begining to tighten with little puffs. As Loki focused on the voices, he could hear them more clearly."And you said he'd only worked his spell a few minutes before he collapsed" a voice asked. "No, it was even less than a minute, 20 seconds at the most." Heimdall replied.

It took a few moments for Loki to realise what was happening, but then it hit him. His mental projection, the part of him that was with Darcy, was asleep and that meant so was his body on Asgard. Somehow, he was still linked to the senses of his physical body, so he could hear the talk going on at his bedside. Well, this could be a most enlightening experience! "Well his blood pressure and heart rate seem normal. Or at least normal compared to the rest of you guys. He really does just seem to be asleep. Its only been half an hour, so I don't think we should be panicing yet" the voice said again. If half an hour has passed on Asgard then He must have been sleeping with Darcy for hours, possibly even days, here. The passage of time was almost impossible to keep track of, and that was another thing he needed to get to the bottom of?

More voices were speaking, and he recognised them all now. The first voice was that of Dr Banner, who fortunately seemed to have the other guy under control for the moment. Heimdall and Thor were discussing Lokis collapse, while Tony Stark was assissting Dr Banner with some kind of scan of Lokis body. In the background he could hear Jane in conversation with Volstag and Fandral, planning to break into the research laboratory where the Elven device was being stored. He couldn't hear him, because he rarely ever spoke, but Loki could guess that Hogun was around somewhere. That only left one voice, and it belonged to Lady Sif.

"I am sorry to say it but, why are we bothering with Loki?" Thor started to interrupt her but she pressed on. "Your brother is a war criminal, Thor. And one act of good in the name of revenge does not absolve him of his crimes. Should we not be focussing in the girl?" Their was a brief slience before a voice piped up. "And do you have any suggestion of how we help Darcy without a master of magic to get us in?" asked Jane, an edge of something slightly aggressive in her usually soft voice. There was no reply. "You weren't there. You didn't see him fight for us. Fight to save me. You all helped me and Thor escape, Loki included, so perhaps you should remember that, Sif." Jane was sticking up for him. The thought made him glad. He stood a better chance of mending things with Thor if Jane was on his side. And, let's face it, anyone who was willing to bring Sif down a peg or two was certainly ok in Lokis book.

Suddenly, the voices in Asgard faded as Loki felt Darcy move in his arms. They awoke in their comfortable bed at almost the same moment, looking into each others eyes. Loki raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to talk about...stuff?" he asked, mimicing her question of the previous day. Her answer made him gasp. Without any preamble, Darcy had ripped the sheets away from their bodies and begun kissing every inch of his chest. It was Darcys turn to smile smugly as she watched his cock jump to life. She jumped on top of him, straddling him with her thighs as she dove for his mouth and practically forced her tongue between his lips.

The shock having worn off, Loki was most definately ready for round two, and it seemed that Darcy was in charge this time. The frantic way in which she licked, kissed and nipped his body made Loki feel giddy with lust, and managed to successfully distract him while Darcy concocted a wicked little plan. Without him noticing, Darcy conjured silken lengths of rope tied to each of the four posts of their bed. She didn't quite know what she could accomplish just by thinking it, so she decided to go for it and hope it worked.

As hard as she could, she focussed on an image of Loki tied spread eagled in front of her. A small yelp of surprise told her that it had worked. She opened her eyes to see the most magnificent sight she had ever beheld. The Taj Mahal had nothing on a naked, aroused, disheveled and bound Asgardian God of Mischief. 

She tested the ropes to make sure he wasn't going anywhere, then got off the bed. He lifted his head to look at her as she stood at the foot of the bed admiring her handiwork. He had never been tied up, or at least not in this context, and was intrigued to see where Darcy planned on going with this. The smirk on his face and the very sexy raised eyebrow told her that Loki was totally on board! She closed her eyes and concentrated again, this time a bucket of ice appeared next to the bed. Finally having had her fill of just looking at him, she crawled slowly up the bed, allowing her long dark hair to brush up his torso as she did so.

Finally, she kissed him, slowly and gently, wrapping her fingers into his tousled hair to hold him down so that he couldn't increase the pressure of their kiss. Darcy reached out a hand and picked up a shard of ice from the bucket, placed it between her lips and ran it down his neck. He shivered. Darcy ran the shard of ice over his neck and shoulders until it had melted to nothing, then returned her now chilled tongue to his lips. His pleasurable little gasps made her grin.

She returned her hand to the ice bucket and brought out three shards this time, placing one in his mouth and running the others in little circles around his nipples. Goosebumps began to erupt across his chest and Darcys self control was rapidly waning. As the two ice cubes in her hands melted away, leaving cold wetness in their wake, Darcy slid herself a little higher to straddle his stomach and dropped her body forward so that her nipple brushed his lips. He gave her a look of complete innocence, raising his eyebrows as if questioning what she wanted and keeping his lips firmly closed. Two can play at this game, she thought to herself, kneeling upright again and giving a small shrug. 

She reached to the bucket once more, pulling out two lumps of ice. Still straddling his stomach, in full view of him but totally out of reach, she began to stroke the ice over her own skin. She started at her lips, before moving quickly down her neck to her nipples, teasing them in unison with the two ice cubes in her hands. They hardened and lengthened, before Darcy began to move one hand further down her body. She leant back slightly, but held eye contact with the gorgeous man beneath her. When he realised what she was going to do, his eyes rapidly switched from beautiful emeralds to huge pools of inky blackness. 

She kept the ice cube moving lower until she gently flicked it around her clit, gasping with pleasure as she did so. Loki began to pull at the ropes holding him, suddenly overcome with the desire to touch the spectacular creature pleasuring herself above him. The ice had long since melted, but she was making use of her chilled fingers to continue what the ice had begun. Seeing him struggle brought a smile to Darcys lips. She ceased her fun, reached back to the ice bucket and pulled out a final ice cube from the almost completely melted mush that was left. She held it just above his mouth.  
"Now, are you going to give me what I want this time?" she asked, running the icecube over the fullnes of his now parted lips.  
"Yes, Darcy. God yes!" he replied, practically biting the ice cube from her fingers. She leant herself forward once again and this time Loki took the proffered nipple into his mouth with a sharp suck that made Darcy gasp. 

He spiralled his tongue over her, before giving a gentle nip. Darcy shifted her weight and allowed him to give her other breast the same attention. By this time her desire for him was so strong she couldn't even see straight! She had never been this aroused before in her life and she was damn well going to make the most of it, especially if she was in as much danger as she thought! No! Now was not the time to think like that.

Too late. She was gripped by the fear that had been with her ever since the Elven weapon hit her. Loki couldn't help but notice her sudden distraction.  
"Darcy? What's wrong? Do you want to stop?" he asked, looking concerned.  
"What? No! No, I don't want to stop. I'm sorry. I just...I just remembered where we are, and why." Loki understood. She was suddenly afraid of what could be outside of their little pool of light. He closed his eyes and in an instant the ropes holding him disappeared. Darcy looked at him in surprise.  
"You can create things because we're in your mind. I'm just magic!" Darcy laughed a little.  
"Yes, you are!" she answered him softly. 

Loki gently pushed her off his body, sitting himself up as he did so then he pulled her back so that she was straddling his thighs with his hard length between them. He leant her back and kissed her breasts again, his tongue now warm once more. Darcy allowed her fear to subside as she was drawn back into a world of only sensation, stimulation and pleasure.

Loki made her support herself back on her elbows, with her legs either side of his hips, as he kissed every inch of her breasts, neck and shoulders. Suddenly Darcy felt his fingers sweeping over her centre and she nearly convulsed with excitement. He placed one hand on her stomach with his fingers splayed wide, using his thumb to tease her clit, while sliding two beautifully long and skilled fingers inside her. He caressed, kneaded and teased every last ounce of pleasure from her body in an orgasm that left her shaking, spent and exhillerated, lay back on his legs. 

Almost as soon as she stopped screaming his name, Loki grabbed Darcy by the hands and tugged her back upright, before wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her against his chest. He spent a split second aligning himself perfectly before pushing himself deep inside her with a groan of pleasure. She was so hot and slick around him and it took all of his self control not to give in to the more animal side of his nature. Instead, he slowly but forcefully slid himself in and out of her warmth at a steady pace, flicking his hips at the peak of every thrust to gasps of pleasure from the woman kissing, licking and nipping at his neck. 

They were lost in the pleasure of each others bodies, feeling the spiralling tightness as they climbed the mountain towards total release. Darcy fell over that cliff first, gasping Lokis name into his ear as she shuddered, dragging him over a split second later. They sat, locked in each others arms for a few minutes afterwards, waiting for the feeling to return to their pleasure numbed bodies. When they finally parted, they both looked seriously mussed up! Darcys hair was a tangled mess and she desperately wanted a bath. With the thought, came the thing, and a few feet away materialised an ornate, roll top bath big enough for two (big enough for four in truth but hey, she wanted space for other activities!) filled with steaming bubbly water! Darcy unwrapped herself from Lokis body, slid from the bed, held out her hand and together they got into the bath, both grinning from ear to ear.


	24. shit gets real

Darcy and Loki had eventually washed in the huge tub, after round three had kept them occupied until the water was almost icy cold. They had both dressed and now were sat side by side on the edge of the bed in silence. Try as they might, they couldn't avoid their situation any longer and it was time to work out what the hell was going on.

Loki had a theory about where they were but he was not sure how to test it. Darcy had a lot more power in this place. She could bring forth anything she thought of instantly. Although she had built her safe city and conjured the iron suit, it had not been with the immediacy or ease that she could do things here. That meant they were in the part of her mind that housed her imagination. She could summon items from her memory or create whole new things, even affect him, he thought with fond memories of silky ropes around his wrists and Darcy hovering over him like a dream.

He began to wonder what had caused his physical body to collapse on Asgard. Was it the fact that he allowed himself to sleep, or was it his mere presence in this deep and sacred part of Darcys mind? The imagination of a human is a powerful thing, able to create works of art and beautiful literature and provide a place of escape in dark times. For them, it wasn't likely to get any darker than this. Thanos was not one to be merciful, and Loki dreaded the tortures they would be put through if they were found. But they couldn't hide here forever.

As he suspected, Loki was unable to conjure the door back to his own mind, and the sensory connection to his body had been lost snce he'd woken up. With some effort, he had managed to bring forth the door to the now ravaged meadow. They stepped through to an onslaught of heat and noise. Darcy had cocconed herself back inside the iron suit, while Loki had donned his full Asgardian armour, complete with a cape that looked amazing but that Darcy couldn't help thinking would be a liability in an actual fight.

Darcy was sweating like a rotisserie chicken inside the suit, and Loki was clearly feeling the heat too, as the cape shimmered to nothing and his armour seemed to thin and fit a little more loosely. The meadow was aflame around them. Every one of the clumps of trees dotted around Darcys once green dome was blazing, while the grass was scorched to ash. The sky above them looked like cracked glass, with thousands of rivers of total blackness weaving their way through the clouds. Even as they watched a patch of sky fell with an almighty smash, leaving nothing but blackness in its wake.

Loki tested his powers again, conjuring the multi coloured door back to Darcys imagination and the green door that could take him back to his own body, before allowing them both to disappear again. Loki and Darcy had not spoken for over an hour, the danger they faced having erased the comfort they had found in each others bodies.

"We need to find out exactly what's happening, then I'll hide you again before I go back to my body, ok?" he asked.  
"Sure" she shrugged in reply. Loki wanted to kiss her again. To hold her in his arms and say everything was going to be alright, but he knew that would be a lie. Instead, he said nothing, turning to conjur the black door that took them to the destruction of Darcytown. If he was going to get answers anywhere, he suspected it would be here where the attack was at its most intense.

They stepped through the door and suddenly everything hit boiling point. Something was firing on them and Darcy had taken two hits to the torso before she found cover. Thank god for the suit! Loki had not been so lucky. He had been hit in the shoulder and was bleeding from a gash on his cheek that looked at least four inches long. He was muttering frantically under his breath as their attackers closed in on them.

A door materialised in the smoke behind Darcy. Loki grabbed her by the wrist, colour quickly draining from his blood stained face.  
"You'll be safe here. It'll be strange at first, but at least you'll be safe. Tell Thor this was the best I could do." and he shoved her through the door. She realised what he was doing too late, all she could do was call his name as she fell through the door.

With a scream, Darcy awoke in the infirmary in Asgard.  
"LOKI!" she was screaming as she jumped down from the table and nearly fell to the floor. It was as though her legs weren't hers. And as she looked down at black and green leather, saw pale hands that were unfamiliar and yet that she knew so well and realised she was a good 10 inches taller than she was used to that she realised where Loki had sent her.

In front of Lokis now conscious body, Thor was holding his hands out as if to calm a startled horse.  
"Loki, calm down. Its me." Thor said gently.  
"No... fucking... way!" was Darcys response, although it was Lokis silken voice that spoke the words.


	25. Well, this is wierd

Darcy was breathing as though she had just sprinted a mile. This was just too fucking weird. What the hell had Loki been thinking?! Shit...Loki was hurt and surrounded...by aliens...in her head... Darcy lost it.  
"Someone needs to explain what the hell is going on here, like, RIGHT NOW!" she screamed, but again, it was Lokis far deeper voice that bellowed the words. Thor looked so confused, he had never seen his brother like this, and had very little idea of what to do. Everyone else shared his look of total dumfoundedness, except for Sif, who was behind the body she thought was Loki and had instead reached for her weapon. Thors gaze shifted to Sif momentarily, and Darcy followed his gaze. Seeing the double ended sword in Sifs hand, Darcy jumped back and practically landed on Thor.

"Oh hell no, bitch. Put that down right now or I'll show you how chicks fight where I'm from."   
"Darcy!?" Jane had recognised her friends attitude, even if the rest was hidden inside a formerly-homicidal alien prince. Darcy had spun around at the sound of Janes voice. She sprang forward and hugged her friend in relief.  
"Jane! Oh thank god! Look, Lokis in trouble, I need to go back."  
"What do you mean Lokis in trouble?" Thor asked, spinning her to face him.

Suddenly the complexity of her situation, the strangeness of having to control an unfamilliar body and an undefinable....something that was draining her all took their toll. For the second time that day Lokis body crashed to the infirmary floor, but this time it was Darcys mind that felt no more.

Hours later, after Darcy had finally reawoken - still in Lokis body - and told their tale to the assembled warriors and scientists, she was alone with Jane. Tony Stark had quickly coined the nickname Darki for her new...situation, and it seemed to stick. Even Jane was using it.  
"Darki? You okay?"  
"He's probably being tortured again now, isn't he?" this had been the thought on her mind ever since she woke up. "Is there any way to get me back in without his magic?"  
"We don't know, Darce. We're working on it." Jane replied. Darcy looked at her friend and Jane saw unmistakable anger in the green eyes that were turned on her.  
"You're not! You're the smartest one I know and you're sat here."  
"I'm worried about you." Jane replied  
"Well don't be. I'm not Thanos' prisoner." Tears were welling up in Darcys eyes as she thought of Loki, the fear in his eyes when he'd told her of his time in Thanos' dungeons, the self loathing when he explained how he broke under torture, but most especially the mixture of hope and passion she'd seen the first time he had kissed her. "Please, Jane. I need you to work out a way to bring him back."

Darcy hadn't told the gang what had happened between the two of them, but Jane could guess that they had shared something intense. There wasn't much she could do for Darcy right now, so she rose, kissed Darki on the top of the head and moved into the adjoing chamber that contained the healers lab.

Sif was spouting off again (Darcys mind is safe... why not just dump her body in the nearest star to eliminate the threat from Thanos ... obviously what Loki wanted...blah blah blah) as Jane walked in and stood herself between Tony and Bruce.  
"What's she going on about now?" Jane asked  
"Basically, she thinks the problem is solved and wants to go drink ale and celebrate. She'd be really annoying if she wasn't a hot, armour wearing, sword wielding demi-god." Tony said with a smirk.  
"I'll tell Pepper you said that." she responded. The look of fake horror, complete with palms on his cheeks reminiscent if the old Home Alone posters, made Jane giggle. She knew Tony was totally hooked on Pepper, and he was in no way ashamed to admit it. She looked to Thor, who had one arm folded across his chest and the other rubbing his temples, and could tell his patience with her was waning. She saw the moment when it left him completely.

Thors fist hit the desk with a bang that stopped Sif short.  
"He is my brother and Darcy is my friend. Until I know that Loki cannot return and that we can't get Darcy back into her body, I will not even consider defeat. Now," he said turning away from Sif and towards the three scientists "it seems to be up to you. What do you need from us?"

The three scientists responded at once.  
"The device"   
"Access to all of your physiological data since Darcy arrived"  
"Everything you have on Magic" 

"Right." said Thor "We have work to do."


	26. Loki lost

Loki awoke with a gasp for the fifth time. He looked down at his broken body - which was a mosaic of cuts, bruises, scars and burns - and again his thoughts turned to Thor, Odin, Jane and Darcy.

Odin had embraced him when he saw him alive, but had that been shock or genuine fatherly affection? It was probably shock. Odin was incapable of affection. It was Odins fault he was here. Odins fault he had ever fallen into this abyss, to endure this torture. No...wait. That may have been true once but this time Loki was here by choice. He'd been trying to save Darcy. Darcy... If that stupid mortal hadn't found the device he'd be safely on his throne right now. He should have saved himself the trouble and let her die. No... Darcy had listened, seen a man, not a monster. NO! He wouldn't give in this time. He was stronger than this. He wouldn't give in.

Thanos watched as the army of Chitauri he had recruited from Darcys memory continued their torture of Loki. He was enjoying Lokis pain. Torture had been a means to an end during their last encounter, but this time he was driven by the need to punish Loki for his failure. And the advantages of their current situation were to numerous to ignore. Being a mere mental projection, Loki was tethered by his bodies continued life. As long as the physical body kept breathing, the prisoner before Thanos would never die. But the pain would be no less real.

After days of nearly endless screams from Loki, Thanos understood that he needed a new torture. Loki was stronger this time. If the reports of his soldiers was right, Loki had sacrificed himself to save the girl, so maybe the answer to breaking him once and for all lay with her. He raised his hand, and the screams subsided to a whimper as Lokis body hung limp in his chains.

A chitauri soldier stepped forward.  
"Bring me one of the girls" he ordered. A moment later struggling could be heard as the soldier dragged a teenage looking Darcy forward.  
"Look at me, Asgardian. Or should I call you Jotun? You are nothing to either of the lineages afforded to you. I will control this body again soon, but if you help me achieve my end, I will spare the mortal you tried to save." Loki didn't look up immediately, instead he waited a few seconds to attempt to hide his agony. When his head rose, it was only to spit a mix of blood and saliva at Thanos' feet. With a twist of his hand, Thanos snapped the teenage Darcys neck.

Loki took as deep a breath as he could manage with four broken ribs, and tried to stay calm. That wasn't Darcy. Darcy was hiding in his body on Asgard. As long as Thanos couldn't take control, everyone on Asgard would be safe. As long as they kept her asleep, Thanos wouldn't get out. He had saved her.

He had saved her!

This became his mantra. As his body was destroyed and as he was forced to watch the only living woman who seemed to understand him being murdered before his eyes a thousand times.

He had saved her.

He had saved her.

Had he saved her?


	27. Research

"For the love of god, Darki, will you stop pacing! You're giving me a migraine just watching you." This was about the fifth time Tony had told Darcy to stop pacing but she just couldn't do it. She only had a vague idea of the torture Loki was enduring and even that terrified her. If she had known what he was really going through she would have smashed the lab apart to get to him.

The three geniuses in front of her were each absored in their own project, speaking occasionally only to exchange vital information. Tony was busy with the AKT, Bruce was looking over the healers data on Darcy's body and Jane was sat on the floor with five of the biggest books Darcy and ever seen spread out in front of her, flicking pages of each one trying to find out all she could about Lokis magic.

Darcy set herself down on a small bench to keep from pacing, and it was three hours later that she jerked awake. She hadn't meant to fall asleep but there was something about being in Lokis body that was just exhausting her. She looked around the lab to see Tony and Bruce still working but stifling yawns. Jane, on the other hand, was lay on the floor with her face planted in one of Lokis magic books, in what looked a troubled sleep.

Darcy bent down to rouse her friend, planning to send her off to her chamber to rest properly. She had no idea when Jane had last slept but could guess that it had been a while. Jane woke with a start, trying to get her bearings, made all the more difficult by Lokis tall frame looming over her. 

"Sorry" said Darcy backing away, realising that her current physical home was more threatening than comforting to Jane. "Maybe you should go to bed? Come back with fresh eyes later?" Jane looked into Lokis eyes and caught a glimpse of Darcys concern for her. Jane stood.  
"I'm fine. I just need some air."

A few moments later, the pair were in a small greenhouse that housed the healers collection of herbs for their remedies. One side of the room was left open and led into the garden. Jane sat herself down on a small bench near the open space taking deep breaths of the early morning air, while Darcy remained in the shadows to avoid being seen by anyone who may happen to glance their way.

"So, what haven't you told me?" Jane asked her friend, knowing by so many subtle signs that there was something Darcy was hiding from the others. Lokis face changed to a smirk that was so characteristic of Darcy that Jane almost laughed.  
"Put it like this, it didn't take Loki three months to get the job done!" This time Jane did laugh, as she remembered their last conversation before all this craziness ensued. Jane didn't really want details, but she could tell that Darcy wanted to talk so she braced herself for some mental images she would really need to repress and turned to fully face Darki!  
"Go on?" she prompted.  
"Oh god, Jane, I don't know! It was incredible! Like, INCREDIBLE, but I'm not really sure what it meant. It was just a heat of the moment thing." Then she grinned and added with a raised eyebrow "All three times!" Jane shook her head with a smile. "And now he's being tortured." Janes smile vanished at Darcys words.

A moment later, Jane rose and returned to her work.


	28. Escape

Loki had been left alone for days in some dark corner of the now collapsed Darcytown. He had a small regiment of Chitauri guarding him, but otherwise he had been abandoned. Thanos seemed to have reached the conclusion that Loki was not worth bothering with any more, and had instead focussed his energy on achieving full possesion of Darcys body.

His strength had been slowly returning as his body healed. Food was not necessary in this place so he had had no communication of any kind, but that suited him. He needed complete solitude in order to meditate and attempt to restore his magic. His meditation seemed to have been working as he was much stronger than he had been since his injury. His escape plan was dependant on strength and speed, and he was beginning to feel ready.

If he could find a way to force Thanos back to his own body and close the bridge, he could save Darcys body as well as her mind. The spell to switch them back again would be far simpler than any he had used to move within her mind. They were working against the natural way of things by residing in the wrong bodies, and when nature wanted things a certain way it took less power to obey than it did to contradict.

After another few days, Loki felt fully ready to carry out his plan. He was not able to become invisible here, the power to do so seemingly linked to his physical body, but he was an excellent strategist so he had devised an alternative plan. Using his magic, Loki restored his wounds and created a pool of blood in which he lay. Then he screamed. A piercing scream that brought his chitauri guard into his room in alarm. Loki had begun convulsing and flailing, before falling still.

As his guard moved closer to the now still body on the floor, Loki brought his doubles from the shadows and attacked. It took only moments to subdue the Chitauri, thanks to Lokis knowledge of the soldiers he was once to have led. Once his guard were secured, he allowed the chitauri form to sweep across his features before arming himself with one of their weapons and moving stealthily to the doorway.

Lokis disguise was tested only a few minutes later, but it held and he was able to move around Thanos' camp unimpeded. Other than Loki, Thanos was the only thing in this place that was not original to Darcys mind. The chitauri army had been recruited from her memories of the invasion of new york, the city itself from Darcys Wanderlust pinterest page and the prisoners were friends, family, acquaintences and the many past Darcys that lived within her.

Unfortunately for Loki, Darcy had been privvy to a whole host of S.H.I.E.L.D and Stark tech, which meant that Thanos had no end of equipment available with which to engineer a way into total control of Darcy. From there, it would only be a matter of time before he found a way to destroy Asgard, and from there the rest of the nine realms would be at his mercy. Loki couldnt allow that to happen.

"Hey, Lord of the Douche, I need at least 5 more of these." Loki recognised the voice of Tony Stark before he turned the corner that brought him into view. Loki was stunned by what he saw. At least 20 versions of Stark, all in different outfits from the billionaires extensive wardrobe, were hanging by the neck from a makeshift gallows, and beside each of them was a version of his beautiful girlfriend, Pepper Potts. Despite what sounded like Starks traditional blend of arrogance and brilliance, Loki could see the billionaires hands shaking and could trace the tracks of tears staining his face. It was clear that Thanos had switched his attention to Tony while Loki had been in isolation.

Whatever Stark was building, it was huge. Lokis plan suddenly came apart and reformed anew in his minds eye. If Stark was building it then it was almost definately a weapon, and if it was a weapon it could be turned on Thanos. Loki insinuated himself into the team guarding Stark and, over the following days, worked out everything he could about the weapon. Lokis escape had been discovered, but Thanos was too occupied with his new plan to care.

Eventually, Loki had learned all he needed. The device was everything he would have expected from a merger between Thanos and Tony Stark. It was designed to obliterate everything remaining in Darcys mind, allowing Thanos to sweep into the wreckage and take control. The problem was ensuring the bomb didn't destroy the bridge. Instead, Stark had designed a weapon that blew in a specific sequence as far from the bridge entrance as possible. It should effectively create a domino effect that would destroy everything but the bridge and perhaps a small patch of Darcy on either side that Thanos could easily deal with. Once he had full control if her body and had regained consciousness, he would be able to use his psychic powers to torment anyone who stood in his way.

Thanos would have to return to his body during the explosion, in order to avoid his own demise. Loki waited until Thanos was gone, before diving from the shadows and engaging the group of Chitauri guarding the bomb. He was an excellent fighter and was able to dispatch them after only a brief battle. Taking all of the knowledge he had picked up from watching Stark, he turned the device in the direction that he now knew the bridge to be in and focussed the sequence of explosions to ensure the bridges total destruction. He took cover immediately, as the countdown ticked to zero. 

The world he was in suddenly erupted into a war zone, with bang after bang after bang shaking the ground on which he lay. When the explosions stopped, Loki knew his plan had worked. The entrance to the bridge was gone, replaced with a pile of rubble that smoked and burnt. Gradually, Loki saw the damage that Thanos had wrought dissapear. Without Thanos, Darcys mind was beginning to repair itself, as groups of Darcys and their friends walked into the mist that was forming around them.

Before long, Loki found himself alone in the now rebuilt Darcytown. He moved slowly through the city, heading back to the place he had first met Darcy. Once he reached the top floor of Stark Tower, he conjured the green door that led to his own body. He opened it slowly and called for Darcy. She heard him, and flung herself through the door into his arms.

"See you on the other side!" she said grinning, as he broke their kiss and prepared to cross the threshold. He looked back for a moment.  
"Are you sure you'll be able to wake up once I'm gone?" In answer to his question, Darcy pointed out of the window, where Darcytown was slowly melting, like a colourful ice sculpture in the sun. She no longer needed her hiding place and was ready to retake possession of her mind. Loki grinned, gave her one last fleeting kiss and stepped through the door.

\----------

Lokis eyes opened to see a concerned looking Thor staring down at him.  
"A little room brother, please! As much as I am sure you have missed me, I can't say waking up to your face was the reason I fought so hard." There came a laugh from very close by that sent a smile across his face at lightening speed. He sat up and saw Darcys eyes open on the bed beside his. Without waiting even to take a breath, Loki bent forward, wrapped Darcy in his arms and kissed her.

Her arms were around him and twisting in his hair as their tongues met and they lost themselves in their kiss. Loki broke the kiss and turned to his brother with eyes full of longing for the woman he had saved.  
"I have business to attend to brother! We will be in my chambers for the forseeable future! Disturb us at your peril!" he said sweeping a grinning Darcy into his arms and teleporting them away.  
They had barely landed in the kings room when Loki felt his clothes being ripped from his body. Darcy had his shirt off before he had chance to protest (not that he was going to) and she was already tugging at his trousers, freeing the hardened length of him that had been awoken by her kiss.

Loki was naked in front of her, and Darcy was flinging her clothes in all directions. When she was naked as well, she again pressed her lips to his. Loki was sinking into the joy of her kiss when she broke away and dropped to her knees in front of him. She gazed up at him from beneath her eyelashes, before taking his length into her mouth. His knees nearly buckled beneath him at the feeling of her warm mouth bobbing up and down his cock, her tongue swirling around his tip every few strokes.

Loki threw his head back and gasped with pleasure at her touch. His self control was beginning to fail him, and he knew that he needed to stop her soon if his plans for her body were to be realised. He pulled on her hair to stop her action, and looked down into her eyes. She seemed to understand, as it was with a wide smile that she released him and gave him one final swirling kiss around his tip. She rose back to her feet before sweeping into a cheeky curtsey.

"What did you have in mind, my prince?" she asked. Loki raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the bed, which now had soft silk ribbons tied at each post, just waiting for Darcys wrists and ankles. It was with an almost indecent amount of squealing that Darcy jumped onto the bed and lay herself spreadeagled so that the ropes could wind their way around her.

Loki crawled up the bed between Darcys legs, stroking his fingers against her centre and making her shudder. His fingers found her entrance and he marvelled at how wet she was for him already. He leant forward and took one of her nipples between his lips, sucking it gently and caressing it with his tongue as he slid his fingers inside her and set up a curling action that got Darcy groaning with pleasure. He trailed open mouthed kisses across her breasts to her other nipple, giving it the same attention as he increased the speed of his fingers curl against her wet walls.

He continued his treatment of Darcys nipples until she was practically begging for his tongue on her clit. Eventually he aquiesced. He licked his way down her body to her clit and began to lap at it in long smooth strokes.

"Oh god, Loki, yes, yes, YES!" she screamed as she came around his fingers. The sound of her screaming with pleasure was intoxicating to him and it took less than five seconds for him to position himself above her, in line with her wet entrance. He pushed inside her, hard, to a sharp intake of breath from Darcy. Loki stilled.  
"Sorry" he said, but Darcy was already grinding her hips against him willing him to carry on.  
"Don't be sorry! Just fuck me, Loki!" Loki drew himself back and thrust into her again, harder and faster than anything they had shared before, but both totally caught up in the frantic energy that seemed to surround them. Darcy came with a scream that was probably heard in the throne room, followed almost immediately by Lokis deep growl of release.

Loki was spent. He was lay in Darcys arms, having untied her and covered their bodies with a fur blanket. He must have been exhausted, as his vision was beginning to blur. Beneath him, Darcy stirred. She turned towards him and gave him a beautiful smile....as she plunged one of his silver daggers into his stomach. His surroundings turned to smoke as his eyes closed, the image of Darcy holding a dagger dripping with his blood being the last thing he saw.

Thanos was particularly enjoying this torture. There was nothing more devastating than the destruction of hope.


	29. On Asgard

As the sun crawled higher in the Asgardian sky, the palace began to come to life. In the infirmary, it was almost time for the next shift of healers to arrive and Thor wasn't sure he could find any more excuses to keep them from their work much longer, especially as the king had been absent from his usual activities for the last two days. It had only been a week since Darcy was hit, but in that time Thors life had once again been turned upside down. His brother was alive, his father was in a sleep from which he might never awaken and he barely even understood the situation with Thanos. The only thing that had remained constant was his beautiful Jane. And it was her voice that punctured his reverie.

"We should get Darki out of here, Thor. Maybe we should take her back to earth with us? She'll be safe at Stark Tower and no one need ever know about Loki until your father wakes up."  
Their plan to explain Odins absence was underway, and Thors thoughts were with Heimdall and the warriors three as they tried to move Odins stasis chamber to the kings quarters without being noticed. Their plan had been to make the move during the night when the palace was usually at its quietest, but it was taking much longer than expected due to the weight of the stasis unit and the circuitous route they were having to take to avoid the guard.

Thor planned to call the royal council in a few hours to inform them that the king had fallen into the Odin sleep, although he had no intention of revealing the true details surrounding his collapse. The hope was that the council would support Thors reign until Odin awoke, and all but Thor were confident that would be the case. Before that time came, he needed somewhere to hide Darki and Janes suggestion of sending her to Earth was something he had been considering. If anyone caught a glimpse of Loki the guards would be called in moments, and Thor did not have the power to overturn the sentance his father had handed down.

"I agree" He finally replied to Jane "Darcy should go with you. You, Stark and Banner can take the AKT, I'll smooth things over with Frode and the scholars." The sound of raised voices came from the lab, as yet another argument seemed to have broken out.  
"It was only a sugestion!" shouted a female voice that belonged to Lady Sif.  
"Yeah, well next time you feel like suggesting killing my body and Lokis consciousness, why don't you do us all a favour and keep your mouth shut, coz I know for a fact that Asgardians aren't immune to tasers!" yelled Lokis voice, filled with Darcys fury.

Thor sighed. "And at least if Darcys with you it will keep those two apart." Jane and Thor rose from their seats beside Darcys body and walked into the lab. At opposite ends of a long bench, Darki and Sif were staring daggers at each other. The two women seemed incapable of seeing eye to eye on anything ever since Darcy heard of Sifs total indifference towards the thought of Lokis torture.

Darcys heart cracked every time she thought of what Loki could be going through, and her rage had found a target in the form of the female warrior. Darcy knew more about Lokis recent history than anyone, and she felt that he was trying to set himself on the right path. But, if Sif was any indicator, it seemed as though any positive action of Lokis would be too little, too late in the eyes of many on Asgard. The cracks in Darcys heart deepened as she thought that his bravery in saving her might count for nothing to these people.

The next hour was occupied with preparations to return to earth. Jane, Tony and Bruce packed up everything they would need to examine back on earth, while Darcy was given a change of clothes and a cloak to help disguise her on their way to the bifrost. The warriors three arrived about 15 minutes before the others were planning to leave, looking hot and tired after hours of dragging the heavy stasis unit around the palace. They had achieved what they had set out to do, however, so despite their tiredness, they were in good spirits.

Darcy, now dressed as a prisoner, with a cloak pulled low over Lokis only too recognisable face, was sandwiched between Hogun and Volstag, with Sif in front and Fandral behind. Thor and Jane were leading the party and Tony was behind with Bruce. Their trip through the palace was uneventful and they made it to Heimdalls observatory without detection. The three scientists and Darki said their goodbyes.

"I will come to earth tonight." Thor said, kissing Janes hand, before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his lips instead. They broke apart after a few moments, both breathing rapidly and looking as though they would have carried in that kiss forever if they could have. Jane stood beside Darcy and prepared herself for the trip to earth.

"I bet Lokis a better kisser." Darcy said, as the bridge opened and they were pulled to earth.


	30. Torture

Loki was once again lost in a tortuous dream, forced on him by Thanos. Every time, Loki fought harder for freedom, hoping this would be the time it was real. But Thanos' illusions were strong, and Loki had found himself back in these chains every time. And Thanos was sure to end every one of these escape fantasies the same way, with Lokis death at the hands of the people he was fighting to get back to.

Thor had pushed him from a cliff, drowned him, beaten him with Mjolnir and had him trampled by horses. Jane had electrocuted him, Odin had had him imprisoned and starved, decapitated him, sewn his mouth closed before pouring acid in his eyes and had hunted him through the forest with a bow and arrow. But it was Darcy who had killed him most frequently.

Thanos had watched as Loki revelled in being returned to this human woman, taking pleasure in her body before falling helpless into her arms. And each time, with a smile on her face, his woman would kill him. Stabbing him with one of his own silver daggers. No matter how violent his deaths at the hands of the others, it was the simple act of feeling this woman plunge his own knife into his heart that wrought the most damage on Lokis psyche.

The illusion currently playing out had been running for weeks in Lokis reckoning. He was becoming more cautious each time, looking for any indication that it was a trap. Thanos had to make everything as difficult as possible, or Loki would not trust his escape was real. But he kept going because he still had hope. The thought made Thanos smile.

As long as there was hope, there was a way to inflict pain.


	31. Back to stark tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, potty training my eldest has taken over my life!

As soon as the four of them had arived back at Tonys penthouse (Pepper didn't even flinch this time), they had gotten back down to work. The device had given them all it could. Even if it was capable of reversing the bridge, Tony had tried every known technique to recharge the thing, and some techniques that he made up there and then that would probably be patented in the future, without success. It was dead.

Bruces data on Darcys body was rather more enlightening. According to what Loki and Darcy had told them about the situation in there, it seemed they could match up each of Lokis visits with a brief reduction in brain wave activity, before it would surge again even stronger than before. And the last readings they had taken before coming back to earth showed a huge spike in activity, suggesting that Thanos was getting ever closer to his goal of possessing her entirely.

While the others were immersed in their researches, Jane had been pouring over Lokis magic texts and she was sure she had found the answer to everything. The only problem was, they needed someone who could perform magic in order for her solution to work. Yeah, not exactly a small problem! She picked up the final book that Loki had given her and read the title "Unifying Magical Forces". As she touched it, Jane felt a feeling of warm comfort slip across her heart like a blanket. When she saw the name beneath the title she understood. This book had been written by Frigga.

After 15 minutes of reading Friggas book, Jane felt herself welling up with tears. Not only had frigga given her life to protect Jane from Malekith, as well as being the remarkable woman who had brought the man Jane loved into this universe, she was also a genius! Even beyond the grave, Frigga was helping Jane, this time with a way to help her friend. It wouldnt be easy, but it was definately a way forward.

The three nerdmigos, as Darki had dubbed them with a smile, were seated at Tony and Peppers dining table, which was yet again covered in bits of circuit board, cables, papers and books, much to Peppers constant resigned annoyance. Jane cleared her throat, waiting until she had Tony and Bruces attention, before beginning to tell them what she had found.  
"Hey, guys, I think I might have something."  
"Go on?" said Tony, looking hopeful for the first time that day.  
"I've been researching magic all day and I've found some stuff out. First, according to this one" Jane heaved a book the size of a paving slab onto the table "EVERYONE has the potential for magic. Its like the stories you hear of Yogis who can increase or decrease their body temperature or the monks who can increase their rate of healing, both through meditation. Its about focussing your energy in a different way and tapping otherwise invisible forces to achieve what you're thinking about."

Tony and Bruce looked sceptical.  
"So you're saying I could magic myself into the suit instead of needing robot arms pulling on my....."  
Bruce quickly interrupted. "So why aren't there more people out there who can do the things you mentioned?"  
"Because it takes hundreds of years to master! Loki is, what, 2000 years old roughly, so he has had time to master the state of mind needed to work magic. Plus, he had Friggas help learning to control it, she could even transfer some of her gifts to him to help his learning." Tony looked interested, but unconvinced.  
"Ok, but how does this help us exactly?" he asked.

Jane knew what she had in mind would sound crazy but she took a breath and pressed on.  
"This is one of Friggas magic books, it talks about the link between magic of the mind and magic of the body. Magic of the mind is things like creating doubles or making mental projections whereas magic of the body is healing or changing your appearance at will. But you cant have one without the other. If you've got magic of the body, you'll have mind magic too, right?" Tony and Bruce nodded. "Well, Loki has magic of the body so, while Darcy is in his body her ability to perform magic, to get into the heightened state of mind needed, will be increased..."Jane waited for the other two to catch on.  
"So you're saying Darcy, Darcy Lewis, could do magic?" Tony had managed to keep the sneer off his face, but couldn't keep it out of his voice. I mean, he liked Darcy, but concentration was not her strong suit. Her mind wandered more freely than a teen fangirl with access to endless Tom Hiddleston gifs. She wasn't exactly Tonys first pick for rescue duty.

"I'm sure its possible, but do you think she could master the what she needs in our time frame?" Bruce asked. They had calculated that they had less than 36 hours before Darcys brain wave patterns were obliterated by the invading pattern they assumed was Thanos.  
"I don't know, but we have to try, otherwise we'll have to resort to taking a play out of Sifs book and dropping Darthos (another Tonyism) into someplace deep, dark and deadly" responded Jane, looking as though the idea of doing anything Sif suggested made her feel queasy.

An unexpected voice came from the kitchen doorway.  
"So I can do magic, huh? And that means I might be able to save Loki?" Darcy asked  
"Its a long shot, Darce, and it'll be hard work but there's a chance we might be able to do it" Jane replied, trying to manage her friends expectations.  
"Do we have any better plans?" Darcy asked, walking into the room and sitting on the edge of the table beside Jane.  
"No." Tony answered honestly  
"Then let's get started."


	32. Thanos is evil

For what had felt like years, Loki had been escaping Thanos only to find that the people he was trying to return to wanted him dead. He had been murdered at the hands of those he was fighting for more times than even Thanos could count. But now, he was looking down on a broken man. Loki was huddled in the corner of the pit they had dug to be his cell, not moving, barely breathing, just waiting for death. And for an Asgardian it would be a very long wait.

Thanos had enjoyed torturing Loki, had even been slightly impressed by the strength he showed, the determination to keep trying to escape. This new Loki was boring. Numerous escape options had been served up to the prince, but he refused to take them, instead mistrusting everything he heard or saw as another trick of his captors.

Thanos' thoughts turned back to his current goal of possessing Darcy. His Chitauri army were gradually destroying everything that made this place hers. Her memories were almost completely destroyed, as was her little city. The meadow had been harder to penetrate, but that was now ash. The only place that remained was the dark room, the place in Darcys mind where ideas came to life, and the scene of Loki and Darcys brief but perfect time together.

Thanos knew that Loki could get them into the last remaining stronghold of the girls mind, but he also knew it would be next to impossible to get the god of mischief to help. Unless....  
Another evil method of torture crossed his mind, as Thanos looked down on the broken man in the pit.


	33. Chapter 33

Darcy was getting increasingly pissed off. They had been working for close to 4 hours on trying to channel some magic and they seemed to be moving backwards. After only an hour of work, Darcy had managed to create a feint green aura around herself, just as Loki could when working a spell or changing his appearance, but now she couldn't even manage that.

Jane kept telling her that even that was a huge achievement, but Darcy was too focussed on what could be happening to Loki to care. She needed this to work. For one, she wanted Loki back and for two, she was already getting seriously fed up of being in Lokis body. On Lokis body was definitely a good place to be, or under it, but in it was far from comfortable. It was exhausting.

Darcy shook her head, trying to clear her mind of all extrenuous thoughts, and focussed as hard as she could on projecting herself out of this body. Jane had wanted to start small, but Darcy had argued there wasn't time for small, and, unusually, Bruce had agreed. So she was trying to force part of her mind out of this body, to materialise in front of them.

She held her breath, trying with all her might to see an image if herself burst forth, but none did. She slumped back into the chair behind her and rubbed her eyes. Her head was starting to pound but she knew she had to keep working if she was ever to see Loki again. She took a deep breath and stood up, just as a series of alarms started blaring and the room erupted in smoke.

Tony, who had been nearest at the time, pushed Darcy to the floor. She could hear him cursing at J.A.R.V.I.S. about security before a bellow of pure rage met her ears. Darcy and Tony turned their heads to see the Hulk throwing a table towards four armed men in black, S.H.I.E.L.D issue fatigues.   
"Stay down." He hissed into Darcys ear before rising to a crouch and dashing to the door behind which Darcy knew the Ironman suit was waiting for action.

Tony didn't make it to the suit. While nearly a whole army attempted to subdue the Hulk, a much smaller unit had grabbed Pepper, Jane and Darki and were gesturing with their weapons for Tony to follow. With no other choice, Tony allowed himself to be handcuffed and led outside, where a helicopter was preparing to land in order to collect them.


	34. Chapter 34

The down draft from the landing helicopter was blowing dust straight into the faces of Darcy, Jane, Pepper and Tony, forcing them to squint to see what was happening. The Hulk was still facing down the army of S.H.I.E.L.D soldiers inside the remains of Tony and Peppers penthouse, but it looked like he was loosing ground. The invaders seemed to have some kind of electrified net ready to throw over him the moment they had a chance, and when that moment came Tony gasped in sorrow for his friend. The Hulk was successfully caught in it, and judging by the way his giant body was twitching, and the roars of mingled pain and fury, he was in agony.

Tonys attention was brought back to his own situation when the barrel of a gun was forced into his back and he was shoved forward towards the now landed helicopter. In front of him, Tony could see Pepper being shoved roughly forward on the sharp gravel roof, despite not having any shoes in her feet. A surge of anger ran through him, blinding him to the fact that he didn't have his suit on and that there were four armed men to deal with, not to mention the army still inside.

As Tony turned to deliver a blow to the soldier holding the gun on him, he was saved the trouble by an arrow that hit its target in the centre of the chest with a dull thud. Tony swivelled back around to see Barton hanging from the open door of the helicopter, letting three more arrows fly in the time it took Tony to sweep Pepper into his arms and gesture for Jane and Darcy to follow. But it was impossible for Darcy to follow as Lokis body crumpled around another of Bartons arrows.

Tony heard Jane screaming at Barton, as he deposited Pepper in the helicopter and ran back to grab Darki. Over the whirr of the helicopter blades and the continued sound of battle from inside the building, Tony couldn't make out what Jane was saying, but she must have convinced Barton that the wounded body, now being dragged across the rooftop by Tony, was not Loki, as the archer jumped down onto the roof and ran to assist.

Once Darki was loaded onto the helicopter, Barton gave the signal to take off, and they managed to make their getaway while the army was still distracted by the Hulk. It was with a stab of regret that Tony realised they were leaving their friend behind.

As the helicopter banked sharply over New York, Tony tried to run over the last few minutes of total chaos in his mind. The men that had attached them had definitely been wearing S.H.I.E.L.D uniforms, and yet Tony couldn’t believe that Fury would be stupid enough to attack two of the avengers, and the girlfriend of a third, without there being some other picture that Stark was not seeing. Plus, Barton coming to their aid was even weirder as he was S.H.I.E.L.D through and through. There was no way he would disobey any orders from Fury. Yep, this was yet another thing to add to the list of stuff that he didn't understand. This list was getting way too long for Toys comfort.


	35. Chapter 35

Darcy was in pain but nowhere near as much as she had expected. Lokis body could heal at 100 times the rate that hers could, and she was already feeling well enough to move around, if she could be bothered to open her eyes.

The bed she was in was soft and warm and she was exhausted from the nightmare situation she didn't seem to be able to escape from. That thought conjured an image of Loki, and her eyes snapped open as she remembered where he was and who he was trapped with. She had no idea how long she had been sleeping, but she needed to get back to work if she was ever going to save him from Thanos.

She sat up in her bed and looked around. She didn’t know exactly where she was, but she could tell she was somewhere back on Asgard. It would seem that Earth was no longer the safest place to be. She remembered the battle, being shot and then saved by Barton (who was going to get tased at the earliest opportunity) and flying over New York in a helicopter…...Nope, there was nothing after that. Fortunately, Jane chose that moment to walk into the room.

“Whats going on?” Darcy asked, sitting up and wincing at the pain that radiated from the healing wound to her stomach.  
“Too much.” Jane replied, looking more weary than Darcy had ever seen her. Jane sat herself on the edge of Darcys bed and relayed everything they now knew about the situation on earth.  
“S.H.I.E.L.D is gone. Don’t ask me to explain because I don't know exactly but it seems as though there was a H.Y.D.R.A element hiding within the organisation, and they chose now to strike. Natasha and Steve are in the wind and Fury is...Fury is dead. It was H.Y.D.R.A. that attacked us, although Tony says S.H.I.E.L.D and H.Y.D.RA. are pretty much one and the same now.” Jane had an almost glazed look about her, as though she had seen way too much over the last 8 days and couldn't take anymore in.

“How did we get back here?” Darcy asked after a few seconds pause, needing to know more.  
“Tony called Heimdall. He could see everything that was happening but could do anything to help us as he’s sworn to protect Asgard from harm and The Hulk was too much of a threat for him to open the bifrost. As soon as we landed, though, Heimdall pulled us and Barton back to Asgard. You’d lost a lot of blood, but Clint is a brilliant field medic and he patched you up in the observatory with Heimdalls help while we got a message to Thor. We had to get you, Tony, Barton and Pepper hidden away before anyone saw you.”

“Why did you need to hide Tony and the others too?” Darcy asked, not understanding why they would be unwelcome. Janes face suddenly showed a glimmer of rage.  
“Well, it turns out that there is a group of people here that think Thors relationship with me is beneath hi. They want him to cut ties with Earth and concentrate on his own kingdom. So, obviously, suddenly playing host to three more human guests would not be good for his position at the moment.” Darcy was sure she heard Jane utter some pretty choice expletives under her breath, and couldn’t help sharing her friends frustration. But now was not the time to worry about Thor.

“How long have I been out?” Darcy asked, noting again how exhausted Jane looked and promising internally that this would be her last question for the moment.  
“Less than 2 hours, Darce, so you really do need to take it easy.”  
“Well, I guess it's lucky I need to use mind magic not body magic, huh!” She responded with a smirk, before adopting the customary pained expression that showed she was concentrating all her might on making an image of herself appear before them

Jane sat back and allowed Darcy to keep practicing. The worst of the news could wait.


	36. Bad to worse

The squeal woke Jane, who had nodded off against the soft pillows of Lokis bed, which was serving as Darkis hiding place. She almost flew to a standing position, reaching for the nearest lamp and wielding it like a club. She spun around to see Darcy stood in front of her and lowered the lamp.

“Jesus, Darce, you scared the living crap out of me.”  
“Ummm, Jane?” Lokis voice sounded from behind her and she turned back to the bed to see Thors brothers body sat up in bed, with a very “Darcy-esque” smirk. Finally, the realisation clunked into place in Janes mind.

“Oh my god! You did it?” she breathed, almost lost for words that her rather flighty friend had managed to conjure up a mental projection. Darcy relaxed her slightly scrunched up face, and the Darcy projection dissolved away in a haze of pale purple and green smoke. Darcy immediately focussed her mind again, bringing the Darcy double back out of the air to stand before them once more.

This time Jane moved closer, circling the double and taking in the detail of it, the individual strands of hair, the knit pattern on the jumper it was wearing, even the movement of its eyes as it blinked. It was a perfect likeness of Darcy.

“Wow.” Jane said, as Darcy again allowed the projection to fade. An hour later, Darcy had managed to create not just one, but three simultaneous projections of herself, keeping them occupied with different tasks and allowing them to interact with Jane to test Darcys mental strength. The sun was rapidly fading, and as soon as it was dark, Darcy wanted to go back to the infirmary.

She knew from Janes research, and a brief conversation with Loki between the awesome sexathon, that the spell he performed to access her mind required physical contact and a huge amount of mental strength. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep the doors open, but she damn well wanted to try to save him, as he had done for her.

Jane was sat on the edge of the bed, looking plaintive.  
“What’s up?” Darcy asked, knowing that the answer was probably “Everything!” But it wasn’t. Jane sighed.  
“There’s something I haven’t told you.” she answered, meeting Darkis eyes.  
“What?” Darcy asked, wary of the answer, but needing to know all the same.  
“I think you need to see to understand." Jane stood "come on, its dark enough now, let's go" Darki rose to follow, and they wound their way to the infirmary via the guard free route that Thor had taught Jane.

As they entered the infirmary they saw Thor talking with a rather dazed looking Eir. She rose as Darki entered.  
"Hello Miss Lewis. Thor has explained the situation to me, I am at your disposal." She said with a gracious nod of the head. "I imagine you wish to see your body. Prepare yourself, it may be a shock." With that, Eir swept back the curtain that had been pulled around Darcys bed, to reveal a body that was both familiar and unfamiliar all at once.

Her skin was almost grey in colour, her hair was completely white, her eyelids were constantly fluttering as though trying to open and beneath them she could see that her eyeballs were almost completely red. Her wrists and ankles were bound and there was blood caked on the straps as though she had been fighting to free herself from the restraints.  
Darcy couldn't take it in! They had only been on earth for 6 hours, then a few more had passed while she was unconscious and then practicing her new magic. How could such a huge change have happened in such a short time? And what did it mean for Loki.

Exhaustion again threatened to overtake Darcy, as the constant drain she felt while in Lokis body continued. She clutched the back of a chair while Eir looked at her with curiosity.  
"I am surprised you have been able to maintain this" she swept her hand, gesturing at Lokis body "for so long. It must be tiring."  
"What do you mean?" Darcy asked.  
"I am referring to the illusion of Asgardian form. Did you not realise what you were doing?" Eir had raised her eyebrows in surprise.  
"What illusion? Loki is Asgardian!" Darcy replied.  
"No" said Eir cautiously, "Loki is Jotunn. His camouflage instinct must run remarkably deep if you are not even aware of it."  
"So I'm camouflaging him without even realising it? Is that why its sooooo exhausting in here?" Darcy asked. Eir couldn't help but smile at the sound of Lokis normally refined voice speaking in the rather over dramatic tones of a youthful human woman.  
"Yes. Im certain your magical ability will be more easily tapped if you allow the disguise to fade."

Darcy concentrated again, this time on removing the spell that was leaching her energy. After a few moments, she felt something change. She could feel herself getting cooler and feel a tingle spread over her skin in swirls and loops. When she relaxed again she felt her exhaustion lift, and felt the hum of magical energy tingling throughout Lokis body. She opened her eyes and saw the expressions of surprise, shock and wonder in each of Thors, Janes and Eirs faces. She moved toward a polished metal tray and looked down at her reflection. Lokis skn was a stunning shade of blue, with darker, raised lines swirling over his forehead and cheeks. His eyes were red, but somehow they were warm, not frightening and her teeth were all pointed. So this was what he looked like naturally? Damn!

Darcy, Jane, Thor and Eir spent a few more minutes discussing what remains of Darcys mind and concocting an action plan for if she could make contact with her own mind (open the door, look through it, come back), and finally Darcy made her first attempt at getting back into her own body.

She couldn't conjure the door. She tried again. And again. On the 6th attempt, she created the door in her mind, but couldn't step through, by the 10th attempt she had succeeded. The door was there, it was open, and the wreckage of Darcytown was visible through it. Darcy knew she was supposed to just look through at report back, but Loki needed her help, so she dived through the door and slammed it behind her.


	37. Darcy to the rescue

As soon as the door was closed, Darcy had called the Iron suit forward with her mind, arming herself as fully as she could, before beginning to pick her way through the rubble of her mind. The town was still familiar to her, even in its rubbled state, but whe she crossed the wall, many hours later, she stepped into a world that was not of her making.

The imprint of Thanos was in every inch of the space surrounding her, and it was the most distressing thing she had ever witnessed. Rows upon rows of bodies were laid out before her. Every person she had ever loved, known, or even seen was dead in her mind.

Thanos’ destruction of her memories was absolute. If he caught the one remaining part of her mind, the part wandering around in this carnage, Darcy would cease to exist. A huge part of her was screaming at her to turn back, to conjure the door and return to Asgard.

But the part of her closest to her heart was whispering one name. Loki. She could not abandon him. He had given himself up to unimaginable torture so that she could escape. Admittedly, he’d probably be seriously pissed that she had risked everything to come back, but hey, she could deal with his bad mood if they ever got back to Asgard.

Her progress became slower and slower as she edged closer to Thanos’ camp. She was still a mile from the centre when she could go no further. The guard was becoming increasingly difficult to evade, and she was not a soldier or a spy.

She suddenly felt foolish, trying to attempt to rescue Loki without any backup or experience. She was just a child to the centuries old evil trying to destroy her. She withdrew from the camp and found a hiding place amongst the rubble of her former safe haven.

“Think!” she commanded herself, trying hard to come up with a plan that wouldn’t get her killed. She sat in thought for hours, but only one idea seemed to keep coming back to her, no matter how many times she dismissed it.

She knew it was reckless. She knew it had almost no chance of working. But she had to try to save him, and this truly felt like her only option. So, she took a deep breath and burst skyward from her hiding place, taking the Iron suit to full power as she sped to the centre of Thanos’ camp, scanning the area for any sign of Thanos, or the bridge.

Immediately, she was being fired upon. Darcys own J.A.R.V.I.S, which sounded alot like Tony, was shouting tactics at her, selecting targets and engaging missiles whenever anything came too close. Darcy had no idea what Thanos looked like, but she knew that everything else in this place had come from her own mind, so not knowing was a good as knowing to her.

Anything that she did not recognise was going to be blasted to hell, but she was taking heavy fire. She knew it was going to happen before it did, but could do nothing to prevent the shot that hit the very centre of her suit. The glow of the arc reactor flickered and faded as Darcy began to fall from the sky.

She landed hard, all of the wind being knocked from her lungs and her head bouncing around the inside of the helmet like a pinball. Almost immediately she was beset by chitauri, and there was nothing she could do to help herself. The suit had no power and she was trapped within it as she was dragged to kneel before the source of all the evil in this place.

Thanos had watched the girls attack on his forces with the contempt it deserved. She was no more than a mosquito to the might of his army, a small buzzing insect that he would quickly dispatch.

But another thought occurred to him as the girl was brought towards him. Her death could be the final blow to his prisoner. He had planned on manipulating Loki into opening the doors to the Dark room and forcing him to deliver the final blow that would give Thanos control, had even set the wheels in motion by stepping up the psychological torture of his favourite toy, but those plans seemed meaningless now against the perfect idea unfolding in his twisted mind.

As Darcy was forced to her knees at Thanos’ feet, he rose from his seat. He lifted her from the ground by the throat, before tossing her into Lokis pit. For the second time in 10 minutes, Darcy was totally winded. Her breath came in sharp gasps as she tried to refil her lungs.

As the breath returned to her body, she began to sit up, looking around the small circular pit untill her eyes fell of the hunched, rocking form of the man she had come here to save. Slowly, Darcy raised herself to her feet, and began to prise the Iron suit of her body, without power it was damned difficult to remove.

Eventually, she was stood in front of Loki, with a pile of robotic parts on the ground beside her. In all the time since she had landed in the pit, he still had not looked at her, so it was with a tentative step forward that she said his name. He looked up.

Darcy took 10 hurried steps back, slamming herself into the opposite side of the pit as she did. Her hand was over her mouth as she let out a cry of anguish that made Thanos tingle with pleasure. Loki was an almost unrecognisable mass of bruising and cuts in various stages of healing. His hair was matted and his eyes were bloodshot as though he had not slept for weeks.

But most shocking to Darcy was the fear in his eyes as he looked at her. He had given her the briefest of glances before hurtling to his feet and pressing himself back against the wall of the pit in horror. Darcy had no idea what Thanos had done to him, no idea that, to Lokis mind, she had been the one to deliver his death blows over and over and over again. All she saw was his fear, and it pinned her against that wall for countless minutes as she tried to imagine what could have happened to make him fear her so.


	38. Bye Bye!

Darcys plan was working. It had been a risky one, but everything Loki had ever told her of Thanos suggested that he would not turn away from a chance to inflict further torture on an enemy. She knew that Loki was pretty high on Thanos’ shit list for his failure to invade Earth, and she guessed that he would know Loki sacrificed himself to save her.

What she had not expected was the terrified look of the man opposite her. She knew it was foolish, but she had had visions of the pleasure on his face when he saw her coming to his rescue. But his face showed anything but pleasure.

Darcy allowed herself to turn away from Loki so that she could appraise the situation, but that was a huge mistake. There was a small thud as Thanos dropped one of Lokis daggers into the pit, and Darcy had only a split second to register Loki dive for the weapon before he had her pressed against the wall with the blade to her throat.

His eyes were narrowed to slits and Darcy feared for her life as he held her against the wall. But he stayed his hand. His eyes were sliding from side to side, looking into each of her eyes in turn, as though searching for a reason to kill her...or not to.

“Loki? It’s me. It’s Darcy.” she almost whispered, doing everything she could to seem non-threatening.  
“I have heard those words many times since I came here.” he replied, not removing the dagger from her throat, but also not pressing any harder against her skin.  
“I swear, Loki. It’s me. It’s really me.” She slowly raised her hand to touch his arm, but he pressed her harder against the wall so she quickly dropped it again.  
“Tell me, Darcy” he filled her name with as much contempt as he could muster “how do you plan to kill me this time? A dagger to the heart? A bullet to the brain? A shot from that ridiculous contraption you wear for protection? Or have you finally come up with a more original way to end my life?”

Darcys eyes had widened at Lokis words. Kill him? This time?What the hell?  
“God, Loki. What has he done to you? I would never hurt you, I swear. You saved me, I’m here to do the same.” Darcy had no idea what to say to fix the situation, and she also knew she did not have time to figure it out.

While they had been talking, the Iron suit was fished from the pit and set at Thanos’ feet. While Darcy was distracted by Loki, Thanos had had the Iron suit fished from the pit, the chest plate being the final piece to land at his feet. She sprang into action, snapping a small bracelet from her wrist and pressing a small button on the underside.

The suit buzzed instantly to life, flying into position onto Thanos’ body as he tried desperately to swat it away. She pressed the button again, and a rapid beeping came from the chest plate as it clunked into position.

Loki was still holding Darcy against the wall, but he had allowed his arm to slacken as he watched what was happening above. She dodged to one side and curled into a ball on the floor, and Loki, guessing what was coming, did the same. A split second later, the suit exploded with such force that the floor and walls of Lokis pit shook, showering them in falling debris.

The heat from the blast was searing and the air was filled with smoke, but Darcy was uninjured. Coughing, she braved the heat and smoke to raise her head and look up. There was an extremely unpleasant smelling green goo raining down on them, that she could only assume was formerly Thanos. The chitauri nearest Thanos during the explosion had been burned beyond recognition, while those further out were nursing burns and shrapnel wounds.

Loki was flattened next to her, but he had not avoided injury. A large shard of red and gold metal was sticking out of his back about where his lungs would be. She crawled to his side.  
“Loki! Loki? Can you hear me? Oh God!” There was so much blood pouring from his wound and he was completely unresponsive. The remaining chitauri were gathering at the top of the pit, pointing their weapons down in her as Darcy tried to stop the bleeding.

She’d come this far, but it looked like she wasn’t getting any further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marshamllowdevient, is this a bloody enough ending for you?


	39. Chapter 39

Darcy was facing a firing squad of chitauri above her with a bleeding, half dead Loki at her feet. She was going to die. Fuck! She really didn’t want to die. A rasping voice broke into her how-many-things-will-I-not-get-to-do train of thought.  
“This...is your mind! ...Without Thanos, you’re back in control.” Loki was gasping for breath, seemingly unable to move, but he was right.

Darcy concentrated as hard as she could on undoing Thanos’ damage to her mind, keeping her eyes closed and visualising her mind becoming whole again. As she stood there, eyes closed, she didn’t see the sparkling mist that descended over everything around them. She felt the floor of the pit begin to rise and finally opened her eyes to see the chitauri dissolve into the mist.

The mist became impenetrable. Darcy could see Loki still lay at her feet and bent down to try to help him. She thought about her mandatory S.H.I.E.L.D medic training and as if by magic a roll of bandages and a sheaf of dressings appeared beside her. Things were far easier in here without Thanos screwing around.

She began to dress Lokis wounds, hoping against hope that if she could just get him back to his body he would be able to heal himself. Bandages now secure she focussed hard, trying to bring forth the door to Lokis mind. But she couldn’t do it. Without the tie to Lokis body, her magical ability was gone. She could manipulate her own mind, but nothing else.

“Loki?” He gave a pained grunt in reply. “You need to go back to your body. Can you make the door?” Loki tried to roll onto his uninjured side, and Darcy helped heave him over so he was no longer on his stomach. She watched him screw his face up in concentration. Gradually the door rippled into life.  
“Help me stand.” he rasped through gritted teeth. With a huge amount of gasping and grunting in pain, Darcy heaved Loki to his feet. She reached forward to turn the handle and push the door open, before practically shoving him through it.

Once the door was gone, Darcy turned away from it and strolled into the mist, feeling herself drift away, finally completing the connection back to her body.


	40. Chapter 40

Darcy felt her eyes flutter, but couldn’t drag them open. She could hear voices all around her, some raised in anger, some in fear. She recognised the frightened voice of Loki and mustered every ounce of energy to force her eyes open. The light pierced them like needles and her head was pounding like a drum but she ignored the pain to watch the scene unfolding in front of her.

Loki, still in the Jotun form she had left his body in, was stood behind an upturned table holding Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three at bay with a golden sword. Darcy began to stand, but she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Jane looking at her with a mingled look of fear and relief. Despite the scene of chaos unfolding around them, Jane and Darcy embraced.

The sound of smashing glass caused the women to break apart. They saw Loki fleeing through the infirmary door, leaving a smashed cabinet lying on its side, forcing Thor and the others to clamber over it to give chase. Darcy threw herself from the bed to follow after them, ignoring the wobbling of her limbs after nearly 2 weeks of inaction.

Although they were far out of earshot, Darcy could follow the sounds of the chase through the palace. After a few minutes the sounds of chase became a cacophony of battle cries and clashing swords. Darcy rounded a corner and found herself in a magnificent pillared hall, with a balcony overlooking the citadel towards the Bifrost. Not far into the room, the fight was raging. Thor was trying to regain control, shouting at the top of his voice for the Aesir soldiers to stop, but they were too absorbed in the battle with Loki to listen. The Warriors Three were attempting to halt the Aesir attack on Loki, while Sif was trying to bring Loki under control.

While Loki was fending off an attack from three of the Aesir guards, Sif was able to get the upper hand, bringing Loki crashing to the floor and holding her blade to his throat. The warriors three were quickly overcome by the guards, being pinned to the floor in much the same way Sif had Loki. 

Thor was still trying to gain control when the activity brought a further regiment of guards running into the throne room, followed by some of the most senior members of the kings council. Sloegr, the head of the council and Thors greatest adversary in politics, swept the room with a calculating gaze, before settling his eyes on Thor.  
“Arrest the Jotun Loki, the Warriors Three and Crown Prince Thor, for the crime of treason against King Odin” he commanded the troops around him.

Confusion settled on the room, as many of the guards had fought side by side with Thor. Sloegr looked to the captain of the guards and repeated his order in almost a hiss. Grudgingly, the captain advanced on Thor, who lowered Moljnir, not wanting to fight one of his own. Spotting Darcy, Sloegr added “and arrest all of the humans, as conspirators in the plot.”

Darcy quickly found herself in chains being led towards the dungeons, alongside the warriors three, Loki and Thor. From another corridor they could hear the dulcet tones of a seriously pissed off Tony, who was cursing everyone in sight and demanding his phone call. Funnily enough, he was being ignored!

They were deposited into a white cell with only one solid wall The other three were made up of an orangy forcefield of some kind that zapped Darcys fingers when she reached out to touch it. Tony snorted.  
“Good move, check out the advanced alien races forcefield using your nice fragile human fingers!”  
“Shut up, Tony.” she spat back turning to glare at him, but instead being halted mid spin by a flurry of activity in the corner of the cell.

Loki had his back pressed against the wall and he was wearing the same look of fear she had seen in his eyes whilst they were being held by Thanos. Thor was trying to calm his brother, but Lokis breath was coming in sharp ragged gasps as his head spun from side to side hunting frantically for some means of escape.

Darcy walked away from a long overdue snarking match with Tony and approached Loki, holding out her hands, palms facing him to show she wasn’t going to hurt him. His eyes met hers and stayed there, piercing into her soul as if she was his only lifeline.

She took another step forward and rested her hands gently on his chest, feeling the coldness of his Jotun skin under fingers. She gradually stepped in closer and closer until she was pressed against him, with her arms around his waist. He brought his arms around her and buried his face into her hair.

Darcy had been holding him like that for just a few minutes before she began to shiver violently. The feeling of her trembling reminded Loki of the form he was in, and he rapidly switched back to his Asgardian camouflage. Darcy felt the warmth radiate from his stomach outwards, looking down to watch the flesh colour wash down his arms and fingers.

Darcy stopped shivering immediately.  
“Better?” Loki asked.  
“Much, thank you.” She replied, redoubling her hold on him.

The reality of the last two weeks finally hit her, and Darcy began to weep into Lokis tunic. Slowly, Loki allowed himself to slide down the wall, bringing the weeping Darcy onto his lap and cradling her tenderly as she let the pain, fear and uncertainty she had been immersed in wash its way out of her body in waves of tears.

The others had backed away, giving Darcy room to allieviate Lokis fear, but they watched in awe at the pair as they held each other close. Thor had sat himself down in another corner of the room, with Jane seated nearby, their fingers intertwined. He leant his head on hers and whispered “I have never seen Loki show such tenderness before. They must have formed quite a bond while they fought together.”

Jane knew exactly what had happened between the two of them. In fact, she knew far more than she really wanted to know, including a rather graphic description of a certain body part of Lokis that made her slightly jealous. If Darcy was telling the truth, Thors muscular superiority did not extend to…. Jane dragged her thoughts in a less blush inducing direction, before turning to her perfect Thor and telling him what she knew of their relationship, excluding the more graphic details she had been given.

By the time Jane had finished her story, Thor was looking incredulous. He liked Darcy, but was still surprised that she had been able to draw Loki in in such a way. Thor had often found it difficult to understand his brother, but at that moment, he understood him perfectly. As Thor wrapped his arms around Jane, he felt a strange sense of closeness with his brother as they cradled their mutual mortals.


	41. Chapter 41

Thors sense of wellbeing was short lived. Unsurprising considering he was currently a prisoner of Asgard! There was no communication from the council, and none of the guards knew what was happening, having very quickly been cut out of the loop. They did know some useful bits of information, however, and as most of them were fond of Thor, they were willing to disobey their order of silence.

“If they can disobey the ‘not speaking to you’ thing, why can't they just let us out of here?” Darcy asked with a huff on the fifth day of their imprisonment, while all but Loki sat cross legged in a circle discussing their current situation.  
“Because that would mean declaring themselves traitors as well, and it would be extremely unfortunate if every soldier or guard loyal to the house of the All-Father was imprisoned along with us Darcy.” replied Thor patiently, despite the frustration that was building in him. “We need a plan, and here is as good a place as any for that.”

Darcy leant back onto her hands again, withdrawing herself from the circle of bent heads to look at Loki. He was not doing well. Somehow, she had managed to connect with him again, but the rest of them could not even speak to him without him jumping to his feet and running from them. Just yesterday, Fandral had tried to approach Loki to offer him water, but Loki threw himself away from Fandral without really knowing what he was doing and ended up landing heavily against the forcefield. The shock had knocked him out for close to three hours, and he was now practically shirtless as the tunic he had been wearing was so badly singed it was falling apart.

Jane, who was sat beside Darcy, squeezed her fingers to get her attention. Darcy dragged her eyes away from Loki and looked at her friend.  
“He’ll be okay, Darce, just give him time. It can’t be easy for him to be stuck so close to us given everything Thanos has done to him. He needs space, and we can’t give him that unless we get out of here...” Jane stopped and looked around the group. “We’ve got some of the best warriors in the universe figuring things out. It’ll be fine” Darcy wasn’t sure for whose benefit the last three words were uttered, hers or Janes.

Day eight brought a very interesting development in the form of Sif, thrown kicking and screaming into the cell by a group of four warriors that were definitely not of Asgard. They were all at least a head taller than Thor, dark haired with peculiar purple eyes and skin the colour of oil on water, ever changing and shifting. They were like no one any of the group had ever seen before.

Once the guards had gone, and Sif had stopped screaming every curse word from every language she could think of after them, Thor gathered the little group together for an update. Sif had not been seen to follow Thors order during the fight in the throne room, and the fact that it was she who had Loki pinned under her blade made Sloegr believe that she was not going to cause any trouble for him. He made that eternal and fatal mistake of underestimating her because she was a woman.

“He told me I could stay out of the dungeon as long as I…” she adopted a falsetto voice and an unattractive facial expression in an impersonation of Sloegr “remained loyal to him and the council during this troubled time.” Another stream of cursing followed. “Anyway…” she resumed in her normal voice “I told him I would be happy to aid in the security and protection of Asgard in anyway I could, and he let me leave. I immediatly contacted Heimdall and requested an audience. I got to the observatory but before I could even say anything he held up his hand and simply said “I have seen, and I will do all I can to assist you in the protection of Asgard” then he gave a strange little flick of his head and I spotted the guy who was tailing me. I just thanked him and returned to my quarters.

Since then I have been gathering every piece of information I can, speaking to anyone I believe might stand with us if need be and trying to work out what the council were up to. Sloegr has had them holed up in the conference room since you were arrested, but I couldnt get in to see what was happening until this morning.” Everyone was watching Sif with rapt attention, and she seemed to be slightly enjoying the experience as she spoke with more animation than Darcy had ever seen her use before.

“I rept into the confernce room in the early mornign and hid, waiting for the meeting to start. Everyone came in, Sloegr last of all, and took their seats. Sloegr began talking about innocuous things like taxes and the bilge snipe infestation in the lower forest, until that weedy snivelling little aide of his came in and whispered to him.” Sif paused here to sip a glass of water from the pitcher that Jane had thoughtfully placed in the centre of the circle.

“Sloegr said something like ‘it is time I show you the future of Asgard’ and suddenly the door flew open and those things” another chain of curses “came in. The situation is grave, Thor. Far graver than I ever anticipated.” Sif shivered very slightly, the first sign of any emotion other than indifference or righteous fury that Darcy had ever seen the woman show.

“Sloegr has been planning this for some time Thor, that much is clear to me. I belive he has taken advantage of the situation with Miss Lewis and Loki to sow seeds of doubt about your loyalities to Asgard over Midgard, as a way of justifying your imprisonment. His eventual aim is clear, he wants to rule, but how he could resort to this is beyond me.” Sif paused again. Darcy was getting bored now, and the frustration that came with all she had been dealing with recently meant her brain-mouth filter was nothing more than a little pile of ash.

“Look, I’m really sorry for your hardship and all, but would you mind getting to the good stuff ‘cause my ass is numb?” Jane hid a smirk and a giggle behind a faked coughing fit, whilst the corners of Fandrals mouth twitched briefly into a smile. Volstagg remained motionless apart from his eyes, which swivelled between Sif and Darcy as though he was watching an invisible tennis match between the pair. Hogun, as usual, was unmoving, but internally he was giggling like a teenage girl. Thor opened his mouth to say something, but Sif beat him to it.

“He has crossed the bloodlines, Thor. Those creatures, they are mongrels. Aesir/Jotun hybrids.” That news froze everyone. Sif continued “He has found a way to speed up the aging process and can bring his mongrels from birth to adulthood in a matter of weeks. Those four were the first to survive the process, but now he has thousands growing, ready to swoop onto our army and win him control of Asgard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have a confession, this was totally not the plan! The plan was to give you a few more chapters to finish the story and throw in a bit more smut, but then this idea came to me and it has kinda changed that plan.
> 
> Sooooo, we may be here for rather alot longer!


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it has been pointed out to me that it is apparently pretty normal for Jotun and Aesir to get down and dirty! Even good old Odin has a Jotun grandmother!  
> Which means my big 'dum dum DUM' moment might not have been so big for some of you!
> 
> Let me make it clear that, in my universe, Jotun and Aesir do not mate, EVER! This is a big, bad thing that is happening and they must stop it or universe ending consequences will ensue! Right? Right!
> 
> So, as an apology for my lack of knowledge, I gift you some smut! And some fluff! And lots of naked Loki.

There was a deafening silence following from Sifs announcement. Stark and Barton looked the least concerned of the group, not having had any experience with the Jotuns. Jane was fearful thanks to Thors stories of the Frost Giants and their marauding ways, whereas Darcy was afraid for another reason.

She knew that Loki was deeply conflicted about his Jotun birthright, and this could only serve to further damage the fragile man she had grown to ….love? No...this was not the time to analyse feelings.

While the others continued talking long into the night, Darcy had immediately left the group to take her place beside Loki. He had again been sat with his back against the wall, legs drawn up to his chest with his arms locked around his shins and his head on his knees. He looked up slowly as she sat beside him.

“Are you here to make sure I don’t ‘freak out’, as you put it?” She could tell by the look on his face that he had been listening to every word, and that he was even more disturbed by the news than anyone else in the group.

Dary reached out and took his hand, rubbing her thumb across his knuckles in a soothing stroke. She stared down at his hands, thinking about all of the enemies they had dispatched in his lifetime, and how many more they may need to deal with before they could truly relax, before her thoughts wandered in a different direction. She was suddenly recalling those fingers drawing pleasurable gasps from her body, stroking her skin, pulling at silken ropes as she trickled cubes of ice over his beautiful naked form….

She must have blushed, because when she looked up, Lokis lips were turned up in a seductive smile, as though he knew exactly what she was thinking. She realised that it was far more than a blush that had given her away, as she tried to slow her breathing back down to its usual rate. Loki leaned in close to her ear and whispered “I know what you want” in a low voice that rumbled from his chest, undoing all her work to get herself back under control.

“We’re in a glass box with eight other people Loki, it doesn’t matter what I want, I can’t have it.” she sighed out in the most disappointed tone she had ever used. Loki just carried on smiling seductively at her, before pulling her to straddle his now outstretched legs and kissing her, deeply and desperately.

The whole glass-box-with-eight-other-people thing was suddenly the last thing on her mind as she returned Lokis kiss with, if it was possible, even more passion. They stayed locked together in the most bone meltingly awesome kiss she had ever had until she feared she would pass out if she didn’t breathe. She pulled away from his lips, dropping her head onto Lokis shoulder and waited for the inevitable comments, of the ‘get a room’ variety, that were sure to come from Tony Stark any second. Okay...any second….now! Nothing?!

Darcy opened her eyes and looked at the group sat only a few paces away from them, but she could see nothing but her own reflection, and that of a grinning Loki, looking back at her. She slowly turned her head to meet his eyes then raised an eyebrow questioningly.  
“Magic, Darcy!” he answered with a raised eyebrow of his own.  
“You mean to say they can’t see us? Wont they worry?” she asked.  
“They can see doubles of us, seated side by side, holding hands, with our heads resting together and our eyes closed as though we are resting. And with that, Loki allowed an image of what he was projecting become visible in the mirror. They looked peaceful and happy together.

As the image faded from the mirror, Darcy focussed her attention on the real Loki pinned between her thighs. A smile crept across her face, and she dipped her head to plant a sweet, gentle kiss on Lokis lips, before slapping him playfully across the shoulder.

“You mean to tell me I could have had you at any time in the last 8 days and you made me wait until now? You are so… getting punished….for that” she punctuated her last sentence with sharp sucks and nips to his neck, causing him to gasp with pleasure. Darcy tore what remained of his tunic from him and threw it to the side, revealing the body beneath. Despite having seen it before, the beauty of his body still stunned her into an appreciative silence.

After a few more moments of just staring at him, Loki waved his hand infront of her eyes to check she was still in there somewhere. She raised her head to look into his eyes and saw a glimpse of self consciousness, as though he was wondering what she was staring at. She smiled a wide, honest smile, before kissing him, slowly and gently.  
“You are stunning, you know!” she told him, holding his face in her hands.  
“No, Darcy, YOU are stunning.” he replied as he caught her mouth with his and kissed her long and lustfully.

When they again broke for air, they were both panting with a mix of oxygen deprivation and desire! Loki looked around their little space, which was barely more than 2 meters square and nothing but a flat expanse of white with three mirrored walls showing the edges of Lokis spell, and the actual cell wall behind them.

“I think we need to make this more comfortable” Loki said, as he conjured a soft mattress that filled the entire space with a feeling as though it had been inflated beneath them. On top of the mattress, which was covered with a black sheet, were dozens of green and gold cushions. The lighting had changed from the harsh white she had become used to, into a soft yellow, like candlelight but without the flickering.

It was how she imagined an ancient Arab Sultans bed would look, with sumptuous fabrics and beautiful embroidery on the cushions. The most striking feature was the almost tent like swaths of gold, black and green fabric that hung from the centre of the ceiling, draped gently outwards towards the mirrors and then hanging in straight lines, splitting the three large expanses of mirror into nine smaller, thin areas of reflection between the fabric pillars that had now formed. It was beautiful.

His magical redecorations had taken only a second, and Darcy had barely five seconds to marvel at the beauty of it before Lokis hand stroked down her jaw, turning her head back to him for another bruising kiss. Darcys knees were beginning to ache from being tucked underneath her so, when they again broke their kiss, she swung her leg back from under her and got off his lap. Loki practically growled in frustration but she stopped him with a finger to his lips, as she rose to her feet and walked to the centre of their little space with a wiggle in her hips.

When she reached her desired spot, she gave a dramatic little spin to face him as she began to pull the long, plain hospital gown she was still wearing upwards, gradually revealing more and more of her bare legs. When the hem reached the very top of her thighs she let it drop again, with a flirtatious little smile.

Loki had been watching her little display, from his spot on the floor, with longing, so when she allowed the hem to once again drop to the floor, his patience finally left him.

With an almost dangerous glint in his eye, he rose to his feet and quickly closed the gap between them. He was stood only a few inches away and Darcy had closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss, but instead, she felt a slight breeze run over every inch of her body. Then she felt the heat of Lokis skin against hers as he began to brush her shoulder with his lips.

Darcy smiled as she realised he had magicked her clothes away in his impatience, then as she felt the hot swell of his hard cock brushing her stomach she realised he was naked too.

Her eyes snapped open. Lokis body was too good not to admire, but she was quickly distracted as he moved his kisses from her shoulder to her breasts. When he reached her nipple, he parted his lips and ran his warm tongue around it in smooth swirling strokes, causing her to gasp with pleasure.

Loki lowered himself to lie on the mattress beneath them, pulling Darcy down beside him. He pulled a soft, green pillow from the edge of the room and tucked it under her head, before kneeling between her outstretched legs. He gave her a devilish grin, before turning his attention back to her breasts.

As he licked and sucked on one nipple, he would stroke and gently pinch the other with his soft fingers. When Darcy was practically bucking her hips beneath him to try and generate the friction she craved, he slowly slid the fingers of his other hand down her stomach to her wet and waiting centre.

Still kissing and licking each nipple in turn, he slid one slender finger into her slick core, slowly teasing her with it until she almost growled at him in frustration. The sound rumbled through her chest and Loki felt the slight vibration against his lips, making him smile.

The first finger was joined by a second, as his thumb flicked occasionally across her clit. Darcy gasped and writhed beneath him, begging with her body for him to give her what she needed. But Loki wanted her to beg him with words.

"What do you want, Darcy?" He asked  
"Oh god, Loki, I want you."  
"You have me." He replied  
"You know what I mean."   
"No, Darcy, I want you to tell me. What do you want me to do to you?"

The sound of his voice was intoxicating to Darcy, and she allowed herself to sink into the all consuming lust he created in her.

"I want you to lick me." She gasped out, as his thumb flicked over her clit again. Loki licked a long line from one nipple to the other, before looking up at her with an attempt at an innocent smile.  
"Like that?" He asked, eyes glinting with mischief. Darcy realised that she was going to need to be far more specific. She propped herself up slightly more and looked straight into his eyes.

"I want you to use that extremely talented tongue of yours on my clit to make me scream your name." She said in a slow, breathy tone. It has the desired effect, as she watched Lokis pupils expand with excitement and yet more lust.

Silently, he shifted himself backwards. With one of his signature, sexy raised eyebrows, he dipped his head between the thighs and began to lick and caress her clit with his tongue.

Darcy threw her head back onto the pillow and gasped with pleasure. It took a good few minutes before she realised he had withdrawn his fingers from her, and she grinned, realising that she was going to have to ask for everything today.  
"Put your fingers inside me, Loki" she begged, through the haze of what his tongue was doing to her.

The addition of his fingers, stroking and curling at her core, nearly broke the dam of her orgasm straight away, but she held on, desperate to revel in the feeling of him for as long as possible.

It took less that 3 minutes for her to lose control. She screamed his name so loudly her throat stung, and the aftershocks of her orgasm quaked through her for forever. When it was finally over, Loki was still working away at her.

"Oh, god, Loki, stop, stop." She begged, pleasure beginning to turn to pain as he continued to lavish her now oversensitive clit with his tongue. He stopped, with one final long lick, and looked up at her with a wide grin on his beautiful face. He crawled up the mattress and positioned himself between her thighs, planting a deep and passionate kiss on her still gasping lips.

He positioned himself at her entrance and buried his face in her hair as he drove himself inside her in one swift deep thrust. They gasped simultaneously, and Loki stilled for a moment to allow her adjust to him. After a few seconds had passed, Darcy began to grind her hips against him, encouraging his long, forceful thrusts as deeply as they could reach.

They stayed together in a tangle of sweaty limbs and deep long thrusts, enjoying the feeling of each others pleasure. Darcy could feel her orgasm building, as her walls tightened around him. The ability to speak had long since left them both, as they gasped and sighed their pleasure between gentle, romantic kisses.  
As Loki felt Darcy reach the edge of orgasm, he whispered gently into her ear.  
“Come for me Darcy.”  
It was all she needed to push her over the edge, that beautiful growl in her ear and the sight of his flushed cheeks, and she felt her body shatter around him. His release followed only moments later, accompanied by a deep, guttural growl of pleasure.

After they had come down from their high, they lay naked in each others arms. Darcy was watching them in the mirrors when a thought hit her, really hard, causing her to sit upright in a slight panic.

“What is it?” Loki asked, concern etched all over his face.  
“Ummm.” she wasn’t sure how to broach the topic, but she needed to, so ploughed ahead.  
“I haven’t been taking my pill, thanks to the whole ‘being unconscious’ thing so ummm, do you know any spells that might, you know, stop any Loki/Darcy hybrids bursting into the world any time soon?”  
Realisation hit Loki, and with a smile, he waved his hand over her abdomen, creating an odd tingling sensation deep in her belly.

“There.” he said.  
“Thank you. I mean, I love you and everything, but I’m not exactly mummy material!” she said with a sigh as she leant back into his embrace. But his arms didn’t enclose her as she had expected. She looked up at him and saw a puzzled look on his face.

“What is it?” she asked  
“You love me?” he asked, without meeting her eye. Darcy suddenly realised what she had said, and a mortified look crossed her face.  
"I, ummmm, no! I mean, yes. Ummm, oh god, I don't know!" She stuttered. The truth was that she did love him, more than she had ever loved anyone. But for some reason she couldn't articulate that thought to Loki, whose eyes had lifted and were now watching her discomfort with affectionate amusement.

He lifted his hand and stroked her hair from her face.  
"Would it make the decision easier if I said 'I love you' first, Darcy?"  
Her breath caught in her throat at his words and she swivelled her gaze intently from one of his eyes to the other, searching for any sign he was lying or teasing her. All she saw was open, honest emotion.  
"Yes" she managed to gasp, before he pulled her to him, lifted her chin with his long slender fingers and gazed into her eyes.  
"You have made me love you, Darcy. Thank you." He said, wetness coating his beautiful eyes as he fought back a tear. She leant forwards to kiss him, before leaning back, placing her hands on his cheeks and whispering "I love you too, Loki."

The tear he had been holding back slipped down his cheek, before they both settled back onto their cushions and fell into an easy and comfortable embrace.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, I'm a hyper emotional being at the best of times, but after a particularly crappy few days last week (Broken toes, black eye and careless drivers destroying my parked car. All seperate incidents I might add) your kind comments have been really weepy making!
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for hanging on in there!

Darcy awoke with a start, momentarily confused by her surroundings. Her heart began to steady, however, when she spotted the still naked Loki curled up beside her on the soft mattress. The air was warm, and they had not needed covers, so he was exposed to her in all his yummy nakedness.

She settled herself back into his arms as he stirred, breathing in the scent of him and smiling. How was it that she was the happiest she had ever been while she was imprisoned on an alien planet?

His eyes opened, blearily, and his lips formed a smile when he saw her there waiting for him. Still smiling, he leant forward and ensnared her lips in a kiss that sent shockwaves of desire through her body. She broke the kiss quickly, not wanting to fall into his trap of lust before she could ask the questions on her mind. Loki looked at her quizzically as she collected her thoughts.

“So, did you really tell me you loved me last night?” she asked, staring at a space just above his left ear to avoid meeting his eyes.  
“Yes” he replied simply “and do you tell me you loved me too?” he asked.  
“Yes” she replied. Loki shook his head, as though he would need to hear those words a thousand times before he would ever believe them.

“Loki, I love you.” Darcy told him, meeting his eyes this time and smiling at his incredulous expression.  
“I’ve done terrible things, Darcy. How can you possibly love me?” he said with a sigh, sitting up and leaning against the wall behind him. She rose to kneel at his side, facing him so he could see, as well as hear, every word she had to say.

“You have done terrible things under the influence of torture or emotional turmoil, but the brave things you have done have come from only you. You thought you were giving your life to save the universe from Malekith, then you sacrificed yourself for me to save me from Thanos.” she said in earnest, trying to make him understand.  
“Two small acts cannot undo the damage I have caused across the nine realms, Darcy.”  
“No, but it’s a start.” she responded with a soft kiss.

“Do you want to know why I really love you?” she said after a few moments, a wicked grin stealing across her face. Loki nodded, a curious look in his eyes. 

“These” she replied as she kissed his upper and lower lips,  
“and these” as she ghosted her lips over his eyelids, bringing a smile to his face,  
“and this” running her lips and tongue down his throat, causing him to shiver and sigh,  
“ALL of this” as she stroked his chest and stomach,  
“but I think my favourite is this!” as she took his hardening cock into her mouth and swirled her tongue around the tip. He gasped with pleasure and surprise but was quickly carried away on waves of pleasure as she alternated long, deep sucks with the swirling tease of her tongue on his tip.

He rested one hand on the curve of her hip, admiring the beautiful fair skinned woman who had made him love her simply by being there. She had listened to him, knowing the worst of him, but didn’t see a criminal or damaged goods. Instead she saw a man worthy of redemption and trust…..and love.

Loki was completely overcome with desire. He grabbed Darcys hair and gently tugged until she released him. He was left gasping by the action of a final swirl of her tongue, before she brought her face to his so that he could press a kiss of pure lust against her lips. She wasted no time in straddling his thighs, deepening their kiss as she lowered herself onto him. He tilted his hips as she dropped her weight into his lap, sliding deeply into her warm, wet body. They took a moment to adjust, kissing each other softly, before they began to move.

Darcy met each of Lokis upwards strokes with a flick of her hips that seemed to drive him wild. It was only minutes before he was growling his pleasure in her ear, and she was holding back her orgasm so that she could enjoy him longer. But when the moment came that she couldn’t hold back anymore, Loki responded with a moan of pleasure that sent tingles up Darcys spine.

Once they had parted, and the high of their pleasure had worn off, Loki used his contraception spell, before magically dressing them. He removed the decor he had created and stood before one of the mirrored wall, gesturing for Darcy to take his hand and stand beside him.

He waved a hand across the mirror, their reflections disappearing as the mirror became a windo to the room beyond. The rest of the group were rising from their sleep, beginning to disappear one by one behind the screen provided for their privacy. The beds that appeared every night from the rear wall of the cell were retracting back into their daytime homes, and Darcy could see the doubles of her and Loki. Double Darcy was sleeping in her bed despite Jane trying to rouse her. This made real Darcy give a small giggle. Darcy really loved her sleep, and Jane was constantly moaning about how hard it was to wake her up.

Double Loki was pouring a glass of water, being very careful to keep a good distance between himself and the rest of their cell mates. A few moments later, Loki had called the doubles from their respective locations and brought them to stand, hand in hand, just infront of the mirrors. Behind the mirrors, Loki and Darcy adopted the same stance, as he lifted the enchantment and brought in the doubles in a split second.

Darcy lifted herself onto her tiptoes and planted a long, lingering kiss on Lokis lips.  
“Must you do that while you’re stuck in the same cell as me?” shouted Tony, drawing everyones attention to the embracing pair. Darcy unwound her hand from Lokis long enough to stick her middle finger up at him, before breaking their kiss and walking to the table where breakfast was laid.


	44. Chapter 44

After breakfast, and an almost competitive display of affection between Tony and Pepper and Loki and Darcy, Thor called the group together to continue the plans they had begun the night before.  
Darcy had convinced Loki to join the talk, seating him between her and Pepper, as she was the least intimidating of the gathering.  
Darcy was immeasurably grateful when Pepper gave him a soft half smile, seeming to project an air of calm acceptance that was exactly what he needed. She made no demands of friendship and held no grudges against him, at least not outwardly. Darcy took his hand in hers and their eyes met briefly before Thor started speaking, drawing their attention from each other and on to him.

It was clear that Thor had been awake much of the night considering the words he was about to say. His eyes were drooping with exhaustion and the whites, usually so bright and clear, were bloodshot and dull.  
"My friends" he began (yep, definitely a speech, thought Darcy) "I have considered our options long into the night and it is clear to me what must be done"

Thor looked around the group, more than half of whom he had known for barely a heartbeat when measured against the long years of his life, but all of whom he felt he could trust his life to.

"We must get out of here, soon. It will be dangerous, but I am afraid that if we do not act soon, Asgard may suffer irreparable damage at the hands of Sloegrs unchecked thirst for power"

Thors eyes moved to Loki, who returned his gaze intently. For the slightest of moments Darcy felt Loki tense beside her before returning to his slightly slumped posture and staring at the floor in the centre of the group once again. 

All day, the group talked and planned and weighed their escape options. They knew there were at least three guards who could be persuaded to release them from the cell, but leaving the dungeons and getting out of the palace would be far more difficult.

And then there was the problem of where to go. Some said to Earth, Tony most vehemently of all, others thought Vanaheim to raise an army. Darcy suggested waking Odin and then watching him get his vengeance on Sloegr, but it was quickly dismissed as the Allfather may not be ready to awaken.

When night finally fell, and Thor broke up the group for food and bed, Loki took Darcys hands and led her to her bed. Her eyes widened when she realised he was not going to conjure their private retreat. Loki preempted her question with his answer.

“Things will start to happen soon Darcy, dangerous things. We must all be well rested and physically prepared for battle.” He bent his head low to whisper in her ear, as he drew the covers over her.

“I love you, and I wish you to be safe. Sleep well.” and he kissed her lightly on the temple, unbeknownst to her dropping a sleeping spell on her with his kiss. Loki raised his head to look at Thor, who was saying his own good nights to Jane. Thor looked up and Loki a nod, the signal for Loki to weave a sleeping spell on the rest of the occupants of their cell.


	45. Chapter 45

While the rest of the group had been talking, planning and plotting their escape Loki and Thor had been hidden away, disguised by Lokis magic, making plans of their own. The doubles of Loki and Thor that Loki had been projecting ever since Thor had first met his eyes in the circle, were enough to fool everyone when they were so distracted with conflicting plans and ideas.

“Thank you, Brother” said Thor, as they sat either side of a small table hidden from sight.  
It was clear that Loki was still tense with fear around Thor and the others, and it filled the older prince with sadness to think what pain must have been inflicted on his already damaged and wounded brother.

Thor launched straight into his plan, and Loki allowed him to speak without interruption for many minutes. Thors plan was simple, he and Loki alone would escape from the cell, make their way to Odins chambers and rouse him. As the rightful king of Asgard, Odin could overturn the sentences of the others, reveal Sloegr as the traitor he truly was and gather the army ready to challenge Sloegrs mutant force.

Loki was filled with doubt that the plan would work, but could not disagree with Thor that, at least this way, the others would be safe a little longer. Keeping Jane and Darcy far from harm was their uniting desire. And yet Loki, the better strategist of the pair, couldn’t help but pull at the largest loose thread in Thors plan.

“And what if the All-father is too weak to awaken? What is your contingencey plan, brother?” Loki had a feeling he knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from Thors own mouth.  
“Then you get back to the cell and I flee to Vanaheim with the help of Heimdall and attempt to raise an army of my own. While I am away you will need to keep a double of me in the cell with you, and attempt to quash any plans they make to escape.”

This response was not what Loki had expected.  
“I thought the more sensible option would be for me to take fath… Odins place once again?”  
“No, Loki. The danger is too great.” Thor finally had a moment to express his feelings to his brother, and this time he was not going to miss the chance.  
“I have mourned your death twice now, Loki. I do not ever wish to do it again. For all of our differences, for all of the pain that we have endured, seperately and together and for the so called truth of your heritage, to me you are my brother. We are sons of Odin and Frigga. We are two sides of the same family, Loki, and I will not mourn you again if I can help it.”

Thor had stepped towards his brother and held Lokis shoulders in his strong grip, willing Loki to see the truth of his words and believe that their bond truly could be repaired. And for the first time in many, many months, Loki believed his brothers words.

They sat together, weaving their plot well with the help of Thors knowledge of the dungeons secret entrances and exits, and Lokis skills for concealment and disguise. It was only early afternoon when they decided their plan was close to perfect and Loki returned them to the group. Thor allowed them to continue plotting until late into the night before dismissing them to bed.

Once he had said a heartfelt goodnight to his beloved Jane, he nodded to his brother, who sent the entire cell to sleep. Thor walked towards Loki, ready to set their plan into action, but a weariness began to set into his bones with each step. His eyes widened with the realisation of what Loki was doing. He just managed to reach his brother and clutch Lokis shirt, before Thor fell to his knees, drifting towards an unwelcome sleep. Loki looked down on him with a mixture of affection and grief.

“I do not wish to mourn you either, Thor.” Loki said, releasing Thors grip from his shirt and lowering him to the ground. He allowed his appearance to shift into that of Thor before walking to the edge of the forcefield and giving the signal to the complicit guard.

The forcefield was to be lifted for only a moment, and Loki dived out of the cell, looking back in time to see it shimmer back into place. Now it was time to work.


	46. Chapter 46

Lokis magic meant that concealment was easy as he wound his way through the castle to Odins chambers. He was invisible to all but the most observant of his race, and even to those he would be nothing but a shimmer in the corner of their eye. Muffling the sounds of his footfalls was harder, but he was stealthy and the carpets were thick now that he had left the dungeons and reached the far more richly decorated palace halls.  
Just around the corner from Odins chambers, Loki was brought to a stop by the sound of voices. He was surprised his luck had lasted this far, actually, so it was not unexpected that his way was blocked. He inched around the corner and saw two of the hybrids that had thrown Sif into their cell only two days previously.

They were large, a head taller than Loki, and were armed with double edged scimitars that looked as though they had been hewn from rock rather than forged from metal. Their skin was an ever shifting array of colours on blackness and they were covered from waist to neck in interlocking plates of iron armour.

Loki studied them quickly while still magically concealed attempting to spot a weakness in their armour, but he could see that there was almost no spot of vulnerability to them. That left only their heads and limbs to attack. Okay, thought Loki, plenty of scope for damage there.

He retreated once more into the shadows, before allowing the invisibility enchantment to lift. The less he needed to focus on that, the easier it would be to focus on the fight he was about to engage in.

Before the hybrid guards even had chance to realise they were under attack, 6 small blades had been flung from the shadows. One of the guards took a direct hit to the eye, while the other had a gash running from the corner of his mouth, up his cheek and stright though his ear.

Loki had gotten their attention, and with a touch of the dramatic, he emerged from the shadows in full armour, with a long curved sword hung at his side and his hands full of throwing blades that rained like hail onto the two dazed and bleeding guards as he drew closer to them.

The battle was furious as Loki drew his sword and engaged both at once. The hybrid whom he had partially blinded swung his blade visciously, forcing Loki to dive between the legs of his second attacker, but he was able to deliver a swipe of his sword that took off a hand.

The sounds of battle must have been alerting others to what was happening, thought Loki, but no one came to join the fight. Always having been an alert and fast fighter, Loki spotted an opening and removed one of the hybrids heads with a flying lunge of his sword, but he was not quite fast enough.

He felt the blade pierce his side mid flight, and he landed heavily beside the head of the creature he had just bested but who had managed to embed his blade in Lokis side as a final act of defiance.

The remaining fighter, half blind and gushing blood from his various wounds, advanced menacingly on Loki, raising his scimitar ready to strike. But Loki knew that pride often came before a fall, as it was with a bellow that Loki embedded the last of his throwing blades into the beasts remaining good eye, before launching himself from the floor and driving his sword upwards from under his jaw until it exited the top of his head.

Covered with the black blood of the hybrids, and losing his own blood rapidly from the wound in his side, Loki entered his fathers chamber. His eyes began to fog as he crossed to the bed and began the ritual to awaken the all-father from his sleep.

Once the last few buttons had been pressed, and the golden shield withdrew with a slight hum, Loki slumped to the floor leaning his back on his fathers bed. As he slid sideways, it was with a mournful smile that he thought, at last, he may have done something right in the eyes of his adopted father.


	47. Chapter 47

Loki was floating, completely free and content, in a soft cloud of warmth. He could feel no pain, see nothing but soft, pale light and could hear the low hum of voices far away.  
Gradually, over days, the voices around him became clearer, as though they were moving closer to him. He caught the odd word or phrase, but nothing seemed to make any sense to him. 

The first sentence he fully understood came from a woman with a sharp tongue, who was clearly berating someone for … something. The voice conjured pleasant images of soft curves and long chocolate hair and he felt his face twitch into a smile. That was the first time he became aware of his body.

Over yet more days, sensations returned to him. The feel of soft silken sheets beneath him. Of comforting blankets over him. The occasional pull on the pillows cradling his head, as though someone was endevouring to make him more comfortable, and, eventually, the feel of soft hands on his arm, his cheek and his chest.

The final sensation that returned was pain. The feel of heat and sharpness in his stomach and all through his side. But even that faded quickly as his consciousness returned to him.

He was Loki. The adopted son of Odin and Frigga. And the woman he loved, Darcy, was the one whose hands he felt most frequently upon him. Eventually he could discern between the tender, affectionate touch of Jane, who would hold his hand firmly to try to communicate her gratitude for him saving Thor from danger, the gentle brush of Pepper Potts, who would drop in now and then to check on him without the need for emotions or words, and the desperate pleading touch of Darcy, who practically shook him every time she was with him, only to flop across his chest with apologies each time.

She wanted him to wake up. And so did Thor. Lokis brother had never been one for tender feelings or open displays of affection that were not his usual giant, bone crushing hugs. Loki was surprised the first time he realised that the calloused hands that had been holding his belonged to Thor. But the fact that his brother continued to hold his hand every time he visited brought a sense of acceptance that Loki had yet to feel in his waking life.

Eventually, he was no longer allowed to remain in his own peaceful universe and so found himself blinking against the bright light that poured through the window beside his bed, not softened by the golden shield above him as it pierced his eyes.

He turned his head slightly to see the brunette coloured head of Darcy resting on her arms as she held his hand. He reached his other arm across his body, feeling no pain from the wound that had nearly claimed his life, and rested it on her head.

Her reaction was immediate. She flung herself back from the bed, sending the chair she had been sitting in flying across the room, and stood staring at him in disbelief. He gave her a small smile, which blossomed into a roar of laughter as she launched herself at him and lay almost flat on top of him as she squeezed him as tight as he petite frame would allow.

“You’re awake! Oh my god, they said you might not wake up and that if you did you might not remember who I am because you ad lost so much blood before they could get you into the stasis chamber and they….”

Her babbling story was cut off by Lokis lips against hers and they quickly fell back into perfect step, as their tongues stroked over one another in a glorious give and take. When they finally broke their kiss, there was an awkward cough from a chair in the corner of the room and a highly embarrassed Thor stepped forward to greet his brother.

“Loki, I’m so pleased to see you awake. We had thought…” Thor didn’t need to continue his thought, the idea of losing his brother AGAIN had clearly weighed heavily on him. He stretched out a hand as though to grasp Lokis shoulder, but at the last minute balled it into a fist and punched him hard in the upper arm.

“That was for leaving me behind.” Thor said, with the slightest hint of the playful prince he had been before the events of his failed coronation had soured their relationship.

Loki smiled, at Thors back as he turned to leave, telling Loki and Darcy he was going to get the healers but really just looking for a reason to politely escape before Darcy ripped off Lokis clothes, as was clearly what she had in mind.

Thor was right! As soon as the edge of his red cape had disappeared out of the door, Darcy was back to kissing Loki, grinding her hips onto his hardening cock through the blankets. Loki gasped at the action, pulling her down almost flush against him to reach the clasp on her bra under her T-shirt. The whole lot was whipped over her head and ripped off before she had even realised it and she sat astride him bared from the waist up, as Loki drank in her perfect curves with his eyes.

He had just taken a soft, pliant nipple into his lips when there was a commotion outside the door. Thors voice could be heard coming ever closer, as Dracy flew from the bed and tried to find the clothes that Loki had flung away only seconds ago.

Just as she was dragging the fabric over her head, the doors flew open and guards flooded into the room, followed by Odin and Thor in the midst of a heated debate.

“Father, he has only just awoken, he needs time to recover.”  
“He has recovered enough. The chamber has made sure of that. Now, NO MORE.” Odin yelled as Thor prepared to interrupt. Chastened, Thor closed his mouth and looked at Loki with an air of apology and regret.

Loki pushed himself up to a seated position, the sight of his father and all of the assembled guards doing more to dissipate his arousal that 30 hot showers could have. He schooled his features into an expressionless mask and waited for Odin to speak.

“You live.” was all Odin could manage.  
“Clearly.” came Lokis reply, causing Thor to wince.  
“You spent months impersonating me.” Odins words were more a statement than a question but Loki answered nonetheless .  
“You fell into the Odin sleep and Thor did not want the throne. I did what I thought was best for Asgard...” at his words Odins face set into a scowl, but Loki continued “... and what I thought I wanted for myself.”

Odins scowl slipped into a look of confusion at the apparent honesty.  
“What you thought you wanted?” This time it was a question but Loki chose not to answer.

Odin and Loki locked eyes for what felt like eternity, and it was Loki who finally broke the contact, looking almost contrite as he shifted his gaze to Thor. Odin spun from the room, ordering the guards to set up a watch over the room. Loki was not to leave it.

As he reached the door, Odin turned.  
“You have three days before you go on trial before the courts. Prepare your defence well, Loki, for there are many on the Judges bench who wish for your head.”  
“You included?” Loki asked, turning his eyes once again upon his adopted father.

Odin did not answer as he swept from the room.


	48. Chapter 48

For the rest of the day of his awakening Loki was visited by a small number of people who had heard he was awake. Pepper Potts, Tony Stark and Clint Barton all dropped in on him together, once again causing a semi-naked Darcy to flee from the room to protect her modesty.

Pepper seemed genuinely pleased to see him awake, whereas Tony and Clint were ambivalent. Yes, he had saved them from imprisonment, but Clint had not forgotten the whole ‘mind control’ incident and Tony was still seething over the damage that had been done to his beautiful tower. Truth be told, they were happy he was alive, but neither of them would say it, much to the combined amusement and annoyance of Pepper.

The next visitor was far more welcome, in the form of Jane. She wrapped him in a genuine hug and assured him without words that she was relieved he was back with them. Her finally brought answers to the burning questions Loki had about the events after he blacked out.

Jane told him everything she had gleaned from Thor, who was currently busy with preparing for the trial, and the Warriors Three.

As Odin had awoken, the remaining two hybrids had stormed into his room, only to be cut down by members of Odins personal guard who had been waiting for the right moment to fight back against Sloegr and his plans.

Sloegrs hold on the people was a tenuous one and as soon as Odin was revealed to be awake, the over ambitious fool had tried to flee from Asgard to Jotunheim. He had been caught and imprisoned by Heimdall, who released Thor and the others to join the fight.

The small band of men that were loyal to Sloegr were quickly dispatched, and his workshop on Jotunheim was destroyed before any more of the hybrids reached maturity and burst forth. Since then, there had been tension everywhere when people discovered Loki was awake, and it was only by agreeing to a trial that Odin was able to talk his way out of another uprising. Many of the council had vied for the death sentence to be handed down and delivered immediately.

Lokis eyebrows had risen at the last part, surprised that Odin had not agreed with those members of the council who believed they would be better off if Loki was dead. Jane must have read the look on his face, as it was with a serious and emotional tone that she spoke.

“Loki, they love you. Thor and Odin. Thor is getting better at showing it, but Odin… is Odin. He’s not likely to change soon, or much, but he does love you. He doesn’t want you dead.”

Jane reached out a hand to cover Lokis, just as Darcy re-entered the room with a tray piled high with food.  
“Better not be trying to steal my man there, Janey! I know you’re starting to realise I snagged the superior prince.” Jane gave Lokis had the slightest squeeze before removing her fingers from his, rolling her eyes and saying “Oh please!” at Darcy in the most sarcastic tone she could muster.

Darcy smiled, moving to give her friend a hug as they switched places, Darcy sitting on the bed next to Loki with her fingers wrapped in his, as Jane left the room with a smile at them both.

Darcy leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Lokis lips before jumping from the bed with an impish grin and moving to the door. She turned to the guards stood outside his door and smiled her sweetest smile.

“Hi, guys! Look, I know you don’t really like him very much, but he’s kinda hot and I’ve had to go a whole two weeks without any part of his anatomy in me so…. how about you keep any visitors outside of this door for the next few hours? Or at least until the screaming dies down?”

Loki roared with laughter as the guards spluttered their “Yes, my lady”s at her, and he knew he was in for a truly wonderful few hours before the reality of the forthcoming trial would have to be faced.


	49. Chapter 49

Darcy sauntered back towards Loki with a filthy smile playing on her lips and her eyes dancing with lust and desire. Lokis breath was almost taken away when she stopped a foot from the edge of his bed, spun around so her back was to him and slowly peeled her dress from her body.

She was stood before him, completely naked, with her long brown hair swept over one shoulder so that the expanse of her back was completely bared to him. He surged from the bed to stand behind her, allowing his lips to trail over every inch of her perfect, fair skin. His hands were caressing her breasts as he kissed a searing line down her spine and back up again before spinning her around and capturing her lips with his.

Her arms were around his neck and tangling in his hair as they both parted their lips and deepened the kiss. When they could wait no longer for air, they seperated, Darcy pushing Loki back onto the bed and stepping forward to stand between his open legs.

“Clothes. Off, Mister!” she demanded, before leaning down to claim his lips once more. With a rather too vigourous flick of his hand, Lokis clothes met a rather undignified end, shredded into pieces and flung to the four corners of the room.

The tearing sound caught Darcy by surprise and she pulled from his kiss with a gasp. When she saw his look of shock at what he had done, she nearly convulsed with laughter.

“Hey, I always thought ‘ripping your clothes off’ was a figure of speech!” she grinned as Loki waved his hand with a little more care, causing the shreds of material to reform and drape themselves over the back of a nearby chair.

Darcy couldn’t quite believe her luck in that moment. Here was a truly stunning man so desperate for her touch that he had destroyed his clothing in his haste to get it out of the way! Okay, so he had fixed it just as fast, but it still made her feel giddy that he felt that way for her.

As she lowered her head once again to kiss him, she tried to communicate a lot with that kiss. He seemed to feel her slight change in mood, as he encircled her waist with his arms and pulled her as close as he could manage.

The soft sweep of his tongue on hers told her that he felt as much for her as she did for him, and that was somehow even more erotic than the lust filled joining they had enjoyed only a few moments earlier.

Loki broke their kiss first, tilting his head back and using the hand he had swept into her hair to tilt her forehead onto his so he could gaze upwards into her eyes. He didn’t need to say the words. “I love you” was written in the expression on his face, as it was on hers.

Releasing her, Loki swung his legs up on the bed, shuffling to the far side and patting the mattress beside him, inviting Darcy to join him. She had barely lain down before he was on top of her, holding himself up on his elbows as he swept open mouthed kisses across the very top of her chest from shoulder to shoulder, gently sucking the skin just beneath her collar bone and causing her to gasp with pleasure.

His kisses began to trail lower and lower until, with a moan of joy, his tongue found her clit and he began to drive her closer and closer to orgasm. She was almost begging for more when he slid two fingers into her slick centre and she felt herself shatter. It was one of the most intense orgasms he had ever given her, and that was saying something!

Darcy began to lift herself up, wanting to push Loki down and put her mouth to use on him, but her pushed her back down and swiftly entered her. She screamed his name so loudly the guards outside all turned to stare at the door, every one of them wishing they could be anywhere but there!

Loki stilled for a moment, concern in his eyes, but Darcy pressed her hips upwards, enticing him to carry on. Still, he did not move.

“Loki, please. I need you.” she whined, rolling her hips to try and create some friction herself. Loki smiled and began to move, pulling out and driving back into her, enjoying every second of their union, and doing all he could to draw it out for as long as possible.

When the moment of his release finally arrived, Darcy was a screaming, writhing impassioned wreck beneath him. Loki growled and gasped her name as he finally allowed himself to come, collapsing onto his elbows and quickly rolling off her before the very last of his strength gave out.

“Three hours! Three. Fucking. Hours! Or should that be Three hours fucking?” Darcy said with a wide grin when she had finally regained the use of her voice. She sounded gravelly thanks to all the screaming, and Loki felt a small balloon of pride start to inflate in his chest.

He began to laugh as he pulled her into his arms and dragged a blanket over them both, before kissing her temple.

“Rest now, my love. And tomorrow we’ll aim for four hours.” he whispered.

Darcys face broke into an even wider smile as she closed her eyes and almost immediately dropped off to sleep.


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is the end!  
> It's a very long chapter, but the OCD in me wouldn't let me break it up because the idea of writing 51 chapters made me break out in a cold sweat!!

The next three days passed in a whirlwind of preparations for the trial, while the nights were filled with as more sex than Darcy had ever had in her life! Loki was insatiable, and Darcy began to feel he was trying to get as much of her as he could before the dreaded day that his sentence would be revealed.

Thor spent almost all of the three days seated at the table with Loki, putting together a list of witnesses to Lokis good deeds, finding evidence of Asgards continued prosperity during Lokis time reining in Odins place and generally doing all he could to keep everyone positive. But Loki gradually became less and less interested in the proceedings.

By the evening before the trial, Loki was sullen and uncommunicative, barely speaking to anyone and being rude and snappy when he did speak. When Thor left just before dinner, Darcy rounded on Loki and gave him a piece of her mind.

“We’re only trying to help you know! Thor is bending over backwards to get you the best defence and you’ve been acting more and more like a bloody miserable teenager every hour. What the hell is your problem?” she raged, pacing the floor in front of his form as he reclined on a chair.

He lifted his head and met her gaze. Darcy instantly took a step back. His eyes burned with a mixture of sorrow, guilt, pride, fear and half a dozen other emotions she couldn’t quite put names to. They all flickered through his burning eyes and it was so intense she felt physically scorched by it.

“I. DON’T. NEED. HIS. HELP.” Loki barked through gritted teeth. “I DON’T NEED ANY ONES HELP.”

Darcy was not fooled by his words for one moment, she knew that fear was fuelling his outburst, but she did not contradict him. Better he get this out now than in front of half of Asgard at his trial the next day. She stood her ground and let him rage before her.

But it was far worse than she had anticipated and it took all her courage not to bolt from the room. He swept all the papers from his desk in a furious outburst of magic, broke furniture and shouted and screamed about his birthright, his life in Thors shadow and the lie that had driven his descent into chaos and torture.

His skin turned from alabaster white to blue and back repeatedly while he was in the heat of his anger and panic, his eyes red whenever his skin changed.

For over an hour he raged, but eventually, when his voice cracked and there was little else for him to break, he crumpled to the floor. Darcy was still stood in the centre of the room, in a circle of safety and calm within the chaos. Even in the state he was, he had never allowed anything within two meters of her come to any harm.

She stepped forward, crushing the remains of a glass paperweight under her shoes, and walked to Loki, crouching down to hold him in her arms. He took a few moments to compose himself, before he turned to face her.

“Better?” she asked, a smile of reassurance on her face.  
“Yes.” he replied, looking around at the destruction with something like shame on his face.

Darcy leaned in to kiss him, to tell him without words that everything would be fine, and he kissed her back as though it would be the very last time he could. It brought a lump of emotion to her throat, and he felt her breath catch in her chest.

He waved his hand to fix the damage he had caused, and when everything was returned to neat and proper order, he lifted Darcy into his arms and carried her to bed.

Their joining that night was almost reverent. Each of them fighting to memorise every inch of their lovers body, for the fear that Loki would be imprisoned once again was never far from eithers mind.

\-------

Loki and Darcy were awoken earlier than normal, the law demanding that Loki be taken to a holding area preventing him from fleeing before his trial. Darcy was left to dress alone, until Jane came to help.

“I thought you’d be with Thor?” Darcy said, both surprised and grateful that Jane was there.  
“Thor is with Loki.” Jane replied, choosing to say as little of possible in case Darcy heard the tremor in her voice that practically shouted HE’S GOING TO LOSE.  
“I know you think he’s going to be sent back to the dungeon, Jane. But I have to hold out some hope. Besides, Thor’s been doing a great job here. I’m sure if anyone has sway with the council, it’s Thor the hammer swinging hero of the nine realms!” Darcy managed to inject a slight laugh into her voice, and Jane mind was eased, just slightly.

Together they made their way to the Throne room, where the trial was to be held. They were seated near the front of the room, being witnesses for Lokis defence. They were joined after a few moments by Thor, the Warriors Three, Sif, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Clint Barton and Heimdall.

Once the hall was full, and Darcy had practically shredded the piece of parchment with her statement on it, Odin took his place on the throne. He slammed his staff into the floor with a clang like a bell that resonated throughout the room.  
“Bring out the prisoner.” he bellowed

Loki appeared from a side room, with guards either side of him. Even in chains, he maintained his upright, almost aloof, stance. He strode to his raised seat, gave Odin a perfunctory bow and sat down. Next to Darcy Thor gave a sigh of relief. It had taken a confrontation and the threat of Mojlnir to make Loki agree to bow before Odin and Thor had been certain that he would refuse when the time came, but he was glad to be proven wrong.

Odin gestured to the other side of the hall from where Darcy was sat, giving the prosecution permission to begin.

“We, the people and council of Asgard, have called this trial against Loki Laufeyson for the crime of treason…”

The speaker stopped as Odin held up a hand to silence him.

“Loki ODINson” was all Odin said, before gesturing for the prosecutor to continue, but the atmosphere in the room shifted at once. The people were clearly surprised that Odin still claimed Loki as a son, and no one seemed more shocked than Loki, whose mouth had fallen open in an almost comical ‘o’ of shock. Loki quickly regained his composure and Odin once again swept his hand, encouraging the prosecutor to continue.

“Right. Sorry Your Majesty, Loki Odinson….for the crime of treason. His action of impersonating the king, Odin Allfather, was treasonous to its very core and we ask the highest punishment for his crime. We seek the death penalty, Your Majesty.”

Again, the mood in the room shifted.

“Present your case, Prosecutor and I will decide the extent of the punishment.”

The prosecutors list of Lokis crimes and misdeeds seemed to span hundreds of years, as though every vaguely questionable thing Loki had ever done was being dragged back up for consideration. Darcy only heard bits and pieces, her mind, and her eyes, were fixed on Odin.

He showed no flicker of emotion throughout the entire trial. Even when the prosecutors case was presented and Thor took the floor to argue for Lokis defence. The list of his good deeds was far smaller than the list of his bad ones, but the people speaking for him had emotion and gratitude for Loki that gave weight to them in a way little else could.

Even the warriors and Tony and Clint managed to express themselves with sincerity and aplomb, making Darcys heart swell for her new friends and wishing she knew what had happened to Bruce since they had been gone.

Janes newfound affection for Loki shone through in her praise of his bravery and sacrifice in trying to save Darcy. But it was up to Darcy to really sell it, as it had been her mind that had come under threat, her body that would have given Thanos a way into their world, and her life that he had fought to save.

Thor had saved Darcys testimony for last. Fortunately there was no cross examination in Asgardian law, the decision whether to believe the witness resting entirely upon Odin. And so it was to Odin that Darcy tried to speak. Her throat was dry and she was nervous as hell.

“Lady Darcy, of Midgard, your statement please.” Thor prompted.

“I was struck by a device that created a psychic bridge between myself and Thanos” a visible shiver ran over her skin “and was rendered comatose. I was trapped inside my own mind, under attack from Thanos, who was trying to take possession of my body in order to open a portal and transport his physical self and his army to Asgard. Loki..saved me.” Darcy trailled off, her beautifully crafted speech having melted from her mind.

She looked around, desperate for inspiration. Lokis gaze was directed at the floor, no help there. Thor was waiting for her to go on, eyebrows raised in confused expectation. Strangely, it was from Odin that help came. She met his good eye, and he gave her the briefest smile and most fleeting nod, but she understood his meaning clearly.

Go on, speak from the heart.

“He saved me.” she continued in a stronger voice. “He saved us all. He had endured terrible torture at the hands of this monster, but he still kept fighting him to save your world. Most people would have run away from what he faced down. And then, when we got out, he was so traumatised by the torture and the pain and the horror of the fight that he ran from us” she gestured to her fellow witnesses “only for one of your supposed leaders to throw him in the dungeon and try to take over!” she was angry now, so her words were coming thick, fast and loud!

“While he was King, you still had food, water, roofs over your heads. He didn’t start a war or tax you to poverty, he just did what he needed to do to keep the place going while his Dad was in a coma!” Thors eyes were beginning to widen, and Odins eyebrows were raised as Darcys little tirade continued, but she neither saw nor cared now that she was in full flow.

“He even saved Odins life, which he didn’t have to do, frankly, and he got stabbed through the chest with some nasty scimitar in the process. So….” Darcy finally caught on to the incredulous expressions around her and stopped. Desperately fighting back the facepalm that was simmering just beneath the surface of her mind, she finished up.

“....so, anyway, I feel that Prince Loki has more than redeemed himself for any negative actions that he may have undertaken whilst suffering with emotional turmoil or from the effects of extended imprisonment and torture.” Darcy ended her speech and practically ran back to her seat, catching Lokis grin as she went past.

Once in her seat, she allowed herself the facepalm moment she had held back whilst on the stand, bringing a smile to Janes lips and Jane placed an arm around her shoulders.

Thor had lost his train of thought watching Darcys mad rant, and it took him a few seconds before he made his final speech and sat back down.

Darcy was composed again as Odin rose to deliver his verdict. It seemed he didn’t need a recess to consider things. Odin once again struck the floor with his staff. The few whispers in the room died immediately and silence fell.

“I have heard the facts, and deliver unto you, Loki Odinson, my verdict. Your past actions have been driven by trauma and damage, inflicted in part by me. Although you are not absolved of those actions, I believe you regret them. 

Your actions on the Dark World, to save Jane Foster, your brother Thor, and the rest of us, from the evil of Malekith, were both brave and foolish, but done for the right reasons. Your impersonation of me, although a crime, has not brought harm to Asgard, or any one individual under your temporary rule. 

Your attempt to save Lady Darcy put you back into contact with an evil you had wished to avoid, and yet you faced and vanquished that evil despite the torture inflicted upon you once again. Finally, your decision to protect Asgard from Sloegr and his intentions resulted in a near fatal wound as you tried to awaken me from the Odin sleep. Again, you put the needs of others before your own. 

Your good deeds have been great, but your crimes still bear greater weight in my mind. It is my verdict, therefore, that you be banished to Earth, to continue to do good works to atone for your many sins. 

This is the decision of the Allfather.”

And with that, Odin pounded his staff into the floor three times, before sweeping from the Throne room, whispering to the guards on his way.

Darcy didn’t quite know what to do. The general consensus in the room seemed to be satisfaction, with the exception of one or two who had clearly come for blood, but Darcy cared only for Loki. He had already been turned away from her by the guards, and she couldn’t catch his eye.

Darcy had been lost in her thoughts of Loki, so she hadn’t noticed the guard at her side until he placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, and the young man hastily removed his hand.

“I am sorry to have startled you, Lady Darcy, but the Allfather wishes to speak with all of you.” he pointed to where the Warriors Three, Thor, Sif, Jane, Tony, Pepper and Clint were all being ushered into the side room from which Loki had appeared so many hours earlier. Darcy rose to follow them, not noticing anything until Loki fell into step beside her.

She lifted her eyes to his and gave him a tentative smile, the beaming grin she got in return sent her heart fluttering in her chest.

“No escaping me now, Lady Darcy! I’m coming home with you!” he said with a laugh far lighter than anything else they had shared. She smiled back, secretly thinking of how much nicer her little flat would look with a naked God of Mischief spread on her couch.

Odins gather began with making arrangements for Lokis ‘employment’ during his banishment to Earth. Pepper, Tony and Clint were sent back to Earth immediately to ascertain whether S.H.I.E.L.D would be willing to take him on, whilst the warriors of the group were sent back to Jotunheim to supervise the dismantling of Sloegrs operation. Thor and Jane were dismissed with as much warmth and gratitude as Odin was capable of, leaving Loki and Darcy alone with the Allfather.

“Lady Darcy, you spoke with passion. Your defence of my son is appreciated.” Odin gave her a nod and turned to Loki. “Please leave us, Lady Darcy, my son and I have much to discuss.”

Darcy left the two men alone and returned to the room they had been sharing. She flopped onto the bed thinking she would close her eyes for a few minutes, but by the time she jerked awake it was fully dark outside and she had become cold. Loki still was not back, but she was unsurprised, so she simply dragged the covers around her, before drifting back off to sleep.

\-------  
It seemed that Odins plan for Loki to join the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. was not to come to fruition since HYDRAS coup had left their organisation in tatters, but Tony had agreed to take on Jane and Darcy to continue their research, and was willing to provide Loki a job and a place to live under very strict terms. Terms that were taking every spare moment to negotiate.

Darcy was feeling lonely, having only seen Loki for a few brief moments since his banishment was passed down. But at least today would be the day that they all returned to Earth. Stark Tower in New York was off limits thanks to the recent HYDRA attack, so they were planning on going to one of his many other homes, a discreet little chalet in the Rocky Mountains.

As she made her way down Bifrost arm in arm with Jane, she couldn’t wait to get back to Earth. and seeing Loki waiting for her in Heimdalls observatory, in jeans and a fitted black t-shirt, made her wish they were alone so she could properly worship the God she could now call boyfriend!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy ending!  
> I never though I'd get here!  
> I am so grateful for the lovely comments and the amount of people who have left kudos on this has just blown my mind! Especially for my first fic!  
> I'm sure I will write more once my winter job is finished, in the meantime, thanks again for reading and virtual hugs to everyone!


End file.
